Specter
by drufan
Summary: Over the river and through the woods a team whumping we shall go. Nightmares, Rubik's Cubes, spooks and insanity. Holy cow, it's COMPLETE!
1. Flight

Disclaimer: This is for pure entertainment and fun. I don't own, won't own, can't own. 

_A/N: This is dark. If anyone thinks it should be rated higher please let me know. This story is just acting like a death fic so don't worry. I will also be referring to previous stories: Pavilions, Spider and Wicked. Spoilers up to and including Conversion._

**Specter**

Chapter 1

Flight

_There was just enough light that he could make out their silhouettes in the small room. Lined up with their hands secured behind their backs and forced to kneel with ankles crossed; Sheppard, Teyla, and Aiden were furious. Ronon was feral._

_"Which one first Dr. McKay?" Such an easy question, one the speaker had asked twice before. McKay still did not give an answer._

_Two guards flanked him. There was no escape and no rescue this time. He was growing tired of the game and the speaker was growing impatient._

_"Which one?" The speaker repeated. He paced behind his captives enjoying his domination over the situation._

_McKay glared back. Why should he play?_

_"Then I'll choose." The speaker walked up behind Teyla, pulled her head so her neck was exposed and ran the blade across it._

_It was loud, it was messy and she died agonizingly slow. Sheppard, Ronon and Aiden struggled and yelled._

_McKay was bored so he yawned._

_"Oh please Kolya, let me show you how it's done." Now he was irked because incompetence was not to be tolerated. This was the man's business after all._

_McKay sloughed off his guard and approached Kolya. He snatched the knife from the loathsome man._

_"Now watch, a nice easy slice severs the jugular and they bleed out. Unless slow and painful was what you were going for. It might have been for all I know." McKay stepped up behind Sheppard, tilted his head and cut._

_A wet hiss escaped and the blood flowed fast and furious. He listened to the last choking sounds and contentment spread through him. "See Kolya, that's how you do it"_

_He felt no remorse._

"McKay," _said Kolya._ "Wake up McKay."

Rodney's eyes shot open as he scrambled back in the bed until he bumped his head on the wall.

"Ow!" He rubbed his head and squinted.

"Calm down, you're OK…for now." Sheppard placed a hand on McKay's shoulder and whispered, "We're leaving."

McKay looked over at the door; Ronon and Teyla were standing in the doorway. They had the bristled guard dog aura about them. They were on alert.

With his heart still hammering in his chest, McKay grabbed his gear and boots. He had learned not to argue when the hairs of the others were already standing up. You can, however, get clarification.

"What happened? I thought we weren't leaving until dawn." He looked at his watch. He had a dial for Atlantis time and one for whatever world local time. "It's just after midnight."

"Ronon and I had visitors. Let's just say, they were a little more homicidal than I normally like."

McKay returned his attention to Ronon. The light from the hallway cast an eerie glow into the room. He shook off the similarities to his dream. Never the less, McKay noticed a cut on Ronan's left arm where the light hit it. Most of Ronon was in the shadows but once again he could see discoloration around his neck. Sheppard left him to move into the eerie hall light. It illuminated the same type of discoloration on his neck.

McKay's mouth dropped open. This was way too coincidental and freaky.

"I'll explain on the way. Let's get a move on McKay!" Sheppard's jaw was clenched and he hissed the order through his teeth.

McKay complied without further hesitation or vocalizations.

------------

They slipped quietly down the hall as Sheppard looked back towards McKay- nightmare. It was one of those nightmares if Sheppard had to hazard a guess. That damn Wraith had done a number on him. It had left McKay wondering of what he was capable. Could he do the things the Wraith influenced him to do? McKay confessed that allowing the thing to murder so easily had scared him. He was also afraid of the enjoyment Dr. Demento received at creating chaos. He was afraid it would transfer.

At first, McKay tried to bury himself in work. Then worry about his team leader metamorphosing into a bug. Finally, Rodney realized ignoring the problem was not working when Radek threw him out of the lab. And as Radek had put it, he could return when two plus two equaled four.

Sheppard had already been called down there to help remove the thorn that was McKay. When he arrived, McKay stood in the hallway just glaring at the door. Sheppard swept the man up in his wake and took him to get some food. After only four words being said through the entire meal, Sheppard took him down to Heightmeyer's office.

Since his everyday work started to suffer, Heightmeyer finally pinned him down and started working the problem in earnest. There was nowhere to go but up. Sheppard stood back and watched. He lent McKay support when necessary and stayed away when he needed to. It took awhile but McKay came around and was declared fit for duty. His last remaining vestiges of the trauma were those damn nightmares.

They had been decreasing, one every couple of weeks. It was the outright eeriness of this place that must have brought that one on. At least, Sheppard hoped it was.

Bad vibes. From the moment they walked into the little village, bad vibes abounded. The citizenry kept leering at them as they walked the streets. It was more than the normal, 'ooh look strangers,' reaction. I was more like the-creepy-old-guy-ogling-the-coed-at-a-nightclub reaction.

The local officials met them and even they kept eying them up and down like a porterhouse. He was definitely never going to make light of any of the women's concerns again. Not like he ever had, but he would make doubly sure now.

The officials had recommended a hostel near the center of town and they accepted grudgingly.

This was definitely a page out of Frankenstein or Dracula. The way the locals acted in the little tavern- the whispering, the pointing and the staring- was just unnerving. There was an underlying current; they wanted something.

God, he hoped there was not another monster-a.k.a. Wraith- to hunt. That had gone so well last time. Even the nano-bots got their little, collective asses kicked by the retro-virus. Rodney had been right- again. Be careful what you wish for.

The local officials introduced themselves more fully in the little tavern. They seemed downright excited. They asked all sorts of questions. How they fought the Wraith? How much experience did they have in battling their most feared enemy? Could they stop the culling once it started? Had they gone one on one? Had they won?

The head guy- Refer, Renfro, Afro, Refra! - Refra acted like he was buying a car. How's the gas mileage? Any accidents? Engine working good? The man stopped short of kicking the tires.

Sheppard deflected some of the questions, some he answered. "Yes we have fought the Wraith and won. No, sorry can't stop a culling. I think it's time we found our rooms." The Gate was a good three to four hour walk and the nocturnal life was an unknown. So, they stayed put. They would leave right before first light. He relayed the message to Weir at their appointed check in.

That had been the plan until his and Ronon's homicidal and amorous visitors. There are a few people he would not mind waking up next to: Rebecca Romajn, a young Bacall, or apparently Teyla, if his baser instincts were correct. He was not even going there anytime soon. However, the man dressed in ceremonial robes, who had one hand over his mouth and one where no man should ever touch him, was not even close to the list.

Then the guy whispered in his ear as if confirming a hypothesis, "Vitality."

He found out later, Ronon had a similar wake up call and a similar reaction. Throw the fucker off.

This guy was preternaturally strong and fast. Robes landed on one side of the bed and Sheppard rolled off to the other. Robes leapt and plowed him into the wall before he could even prepare for an attack. They fell to the floor with his guest sitting on top of him and his hands wrapped around Sheppard's neck. Try as he might, he could not move the guy off of him. His arms felt unnaturally heavy; he could hardly raise them. As his vision blurred and grayed, he studied his attacker. Smoke, or what looked like smoke, encircled him. Strange.

Just when thoughts of who should get his stereo whirled around in Sheppard's brain, a P90 slammed into the side of Robes' head. Teyla and Ronon had come to the rescue. Robes dropped like a lead weight and Sheppard gasped for breath as he rolled away from the freak. That's when he learned that Ronon had a visitor as well.

Teyla heard the scuffle while returning from a midnight excursion to the bathroom. Ronon was definitely no weakling but even he could not move his attacker. Teyla had used a vase by Ronon's bed to slam into his attacker's head.

Sheppard grabbed his gear and croaked out, "McKay." They left quickly to check on Rodney. Ronon and Sheppard were the only ones attacked. McKay was fine, sort of. This came back to his nightmares. According to McKay, they were dehumanizing and murderous. They scared the shit out of him. Sheppard would have to worry about that later. Right now, escape was their first priority.

They exited the back of the hostel. In front of the building, a unit of armed guards stood post. They slipped down a back alley away from the building and the guards towards one of the villages other exits. The village had three walls that formed a triangle. In the middle of each wall was a gate. Guards walked the top of the walls as well as being positioned at the gate. The direct route was cut off by the armed guards in front of the hostel. The second had a large contingent of soldiers as well as the men on the wall. The third and last exit was lightly guarded. It was also the most circuitous route to the gate.  
Ronon and Sheppard exchanged looks of disbelief.

"Feel like you're being herded to the slaughterhouse?" Sheppard asked derisively. As he had stated before, he did not believe in coincidences.

Ronon snorted in agreement. Teyla just nodded silently. And McKay kept his mouth shut for once. That silence bothered Sheppard even more than his visitor.

Sheppard thought for a moment. They could not take out all the guards at the other exits. They would have to make the best of it and try to be unpredictable once they left the confines of the village.

The skirmish was quick and silent. Ronon's stun setting along with a few well placed punches let them quickly exit and disappear into the dark forest.

The man hidden on top of the wall gave a signal.

-------------

_A/N: Well here we go into the world of SGA one more time. Please as always, review._


	2. Recovery

_A/N: Good to see so much interest! Thanks!_

Chapter 2

Recovery

Major Lorne piloted the Puddle Jumper over treetops heading towards a weak radio signal. Lieutenant Colonel Sheppard's team was missing in action. Two ground teams were searching the two main paths to the walled village. They had refrained from contacting the locals since they were an unknown quantity.

At the scheduled check in, the team expressed concern about it being creepy. But they did not feel threatened so decided to stay the night. Weir had asked if creepy was an official scientific or military term. Both Sheppard and McKay answered "yes" in unison. Snickers were heard around the Gate room and Control Center. Lorne had been one of them. He was not laughing now.

They were now two hours overdue. A team had been dispatched at dawn local time to meet up with them (Weir's Spidey sense was tingling). Sheppard's team never showed and never radioed. A weak signal was being received but the terrain and thick forest was hampering locating it. Even with the Puddle Jumper, rescue would be impeded because of the canopy. They came up with a solution, rappelling. He looked back at the medic and young marine; they were the guinea pigs. Even when or if they located them, they would have to hike out. There was nowhere to land and they did not have a winch to bring those that rappelled down back up. It was a one way trip.

He had been there only 10 minutes when the radio signal and a weak life sign had been triangulated. It was about 5 kilometers from the village and way off the direct path to the Stargate.

"We have a confirmation on the radio signal, it's ours. It's like the channel's been left open. I can hear someone breathing," relayed Jones, a member of Lorne's team. "I'm also picking up energy signals from Ancient devices. Someone's down there Sir."

"Well gentlemen and lady," he looked at the medic before continuing, "Time to test our theory."

They hooked themselves into their harnesses. Another member of the team dropped the secured ropes. The two rappelled down toward the forest floor, soldier then medic. They slipped through the upper canopy easily dodging branches and leaves. Once they reached the ground, they released the harnesses and made their way into the underbrush.

"Another 10 yards or so Jackson," directed Major Lorne.

_"Coming up on an open area…"_ There was silence. _"Oh God, Sir."_

-------------

Sgt. Stackhouse trudged, hacked and beat his way through the dense underbrush. He had been 30 minutes away, but he had the only other medic with him. He was needed. They entered the clearing. It was a clearing only because the trees ringed the area, but their tops kept it obscured from the air. He sent the medic right to work.

It could not be true, but it was. He had visual confirmation now. The entire team lay out before him. The first body he came to was Ronon. He laid face down, forehead resting on the forest floor. His trusted weapons scattered a few feet away. Next was Teyla, her open eyes watching the birds fly from branch to branch. She would have liked the view. Dr. McKay followed. He was alive. He lay on the opposite side of the clearing. From the scrape marks in the detritus, he had crawled back to his team. From what he overheard, he did it with a broken arm and leg.

Stackhouse swallowed hard as he approached the last body, his C.O. His mangled C.O. His mangled, dead C.O. He lay at the bottom of a very large tree. His eyes open and legs bent in the wrong direction. His head turned so he could still keep watch over his team.

Whatever happened had been violent, cruel and frightening. Creepy did not adequately describe this place. And it definitely was not funny anymore. He hoped they gave as good as they got.

"Keep that Jumper here Sir. This was no ordinary confrontation." He looked at the two medics with Dr. McKay. "Be ready to go as soon as our back-up gets here."

Atlantis had been informed. Reinforcements were on the way. They were bringing three body bags.

A two hour walk or procession turned into three because of the living. Dr. McKay's condition required a few stops. The medics kept constantly updating Dr. Beckett on his status. Stackhouse would make sure he returned safely.

Atlantis was waiting.

Stackhouse met the Puddle Jumper as they exited the forest. He had a request for Major Lorne.

As Dr. McKay was loaded into the Jumper, Stackhouse took a deep breath and addressed the major, "Sir, can we carry the rest of the team through the Gate? It's the least we can do. It will only take an extra 10 minutes and they deserve to walk through the Stargate from their final mission."

Major Lorne looked into the earnest face. "Permission granted."

Once McKay had been secured in the ship, Lorne entered and took his seat. The Jumper lifted off and dialed to head home. Stackhouse and the rest of the ground teams followed and 11 minutes later they set foot onto Atlantis' Gate room floor.

Sgt. Stackhouse approached Dr. Weir and solemnly reported to her.

"Ma'am, Lt. Col. Sheppard's team has returned home."

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_A/N: Don't you worry. Don't you fear. This is not a death fic m'dears. Except that it is. You'll see. 'Tis October, so the wee ghosties like to come out and play. Send your condolences for the team in review form. _; )

_P.S.: Thanks for all the spelling catches. Tips hat to Silverthreads and sgafan33._


	3. Home

Chapter 3

Home

Beckett and his team waited for Rodney in the Jumper bay.

Only one.

Only one to put back together this time. The others did not need him.

He watched as the craft rose through the floor and automatically maneuvered into its berth. The hatch opened and as soon as possible Carson rushed on board. He barked his orders and rushed his friend to the infirmary. He rubbed his forehead and revisited his earlier thoughts, only one to save this time.

---------------

Major Lorne had radioed that Stackhouse would physically bring the team through the Gate. So she waited even after the Jumper exited. They left the door open for them. Elizabeth stood still as Sgt. Stackhouse's team exited with the bodies.

Bodies. Could not be happening. No, they leave and they come back. They come back battered, bruised, laughing, running, muddied, stinky, casually and hot. They come back alive. Sheppard had come back dead once. No miracle saves today.

Stackhouse stood before her and reported the return of the team. "Ma'am Lt. Col. Sheppard's team has returned home."

She only nodded. Anything else would be a sob.

"I'll escort them to the morgue ma'am."

She nodded again.

She really looked at the young man. He was only holding it together by a slim thread. His singular purpose, getting them home, was all that stood between him and breaking down right there. He would not shed tears but looked ready to shoot or punch anything that got in his way.

He turned and left to lead the procession out the side door to the morgue. She watched the body bags sway gently between the bearers. Since coming here, she had seen too many body bags. She had sent too many letters.

She gathered herself. She had to start shifting into leader again. The Daedalus and Earth needed to be contacted. The Athosians needed to be informed of Teyla's death. She needed to organize teams if a return to the planet was needed. She had last rights and burial tasks to complete. She had the minutiae of the everyday routine to tend to.

Her leadership mask fell as she ran out of the Gate room and promptly threw up.

---------------

_He spotted her immediately as he exited the wormhole._

_Elizabeth waited on the Gate room floor, hands clasped casually behind her back. She wore her red work tee that signified her role as leader. Her welcome home smile greeted him as he stepped away from the event horizon._

_"Enjoy yourself?"_

_He drank in her scent. He walked up, grasped her by the head and kissed her. He pulled his head back and gazed into her shocked eyes. There was no heat or passion. It was an exercise in control. Gaining or losing control he was not sure._

_He broke her neck._

_"Yes," Rodney answered._

_There was satisfaction._

----------------

McKay woke up howling. His terror passed right through Beckett.

"Rodney! Rodney! You're safe!" Beckett yelled trying to get McKay's attention.

Rodney stared with wild eyes right at his face. "Dead…killed them…just like my dreams…" He grabbed Beckett by the shirt. "Not a warrior." It sounded like a lament.

Tears streamed down Rodney's face as he continued to rage.

"Hand me that syringe Tracy." Beckett injected the contents into Rodney's port.

McKay calmed quickly and his breath evened out.

Beckett stepped back and let himself simmer just under the surface.

A small sound behind him made him jump and he rounded on the noise maker. Weir placed a hand on Beckett's arm and stared him straight in the eyes.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." She removed her hand and hugged herself. "I came to see him. Need I even ask? I heard."

"Do we know anything? Their check in mentioned creepy not…" Carson backed her away from the bed. "His injuries ranged from bruised ribs, a broken right arm, and a broken right femur to internal injuries, exposure to the elements and insects bites. Luckily no bee or wasp type insects. Nothing we could not fix but serious none the less."

Weir walked back over to his bed and grabbed his good hand gently. "He crawled back to them according to Sgt. Stackhouse." She was trying to maintain control. She was going to have to have a good cry soon or it would not be on her terms.

"I need to see them Carson. I need to see him." She gave a soft smile. "I just did not want to do it alone."

"Dr. Biro will be doing the autopsies later this afternoon. Let's go do it now."

-------------

Weir could feel herself getting slower and slower.

Carson stopped. "Are you all right? We don't have to do this right now."

"No I'm not, but I have to see them." Her weariness tackled her. "You asked a good question, how did it go from a mildly humorous and creepy situation to a violent and vicious death?" They stopped in front of the door. "Now or never Carson."

They entered.

Three gurneys lined up with sheets draped over the occupants. She wanted to laugh hysterically. Ronon's feet hung over the end of the bed. Teyla only took up a portion and Sheppard filled it out the entirely.

That body is too big. That body is too small. That body is just right. She was a ghoulish Goldilocks intruding upon their sanctum.

She walked immediately over to "just right".

Carson pulled the sheet back; she practically fell over her own feet. Sheppard's eyes were open and she swore she saw them move. She reminded herself- no miracle saves today. Elizabeth regained her composure and noticed the finger shaped contusions on his neck. On his forehead, a red mark similar to a burn was evident.

"What's that?" Weir asked pointing to the mark.

"Looks like a burn, but the skin appears intact." He practically had his nose on it. "This is the first time I've seen him. Dr. Biro will be able to answer that later."

Weir felt a little sick at the thought of them being splayed out like an eleventh grade frog dissection.

She looked back into his eyes. He did not look dead. As a matter of fact he did not look anything like a dead person should- color drained or lifeless. She expected him to sit up and yell, "Gotcha!" Then turn around to Dex and Teyla and yell, "Come on everyone! Jig's up, Elizabeth's on to us!"

She was growing angry at him.

Her voice started out low but steadily rose. "How dare you leave me after I go to bat for you. Get your lazy ass up Sheppard." She could not hold the tears back anymore. "Caldwell and I won't work. You challenge me. I challenge you. Caldwell just isn't as much fun." Her shoulders shook. "You can't leave Rodney alone." She practically growled it out.

The flood gates opened and she knew that she might as well lose it down here. Dead men tell no tales. Carson grabbed her by the shoulders and walked her out. He returned, closed Sheppard's eyes, pulled the sheet over him and turned out the lights.

Vengeance usually did not combine with diplomacy, but she was going to make the bastards who did this pay.

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_A/N: Stay with me now, the mystery will be answered honest. Thank you for all the feedback, it is really wonderful. Please send a little support to our ailing astrophysicist and review._


	4. What?

Chapter 4 

What?

He was shivering like a frightened child waking up from a nightmare. And this nightmare was real. They were dead. He heard his team die. He was not even sure if he had helped. The dreams bled into reality and the wonderful drugs did not help his clarity either. A blond doctor swam into view. A newbie or a hallucination, he could not tell.

"Dr. McKay, welcome back. Everything is all right. You're on Atlantis." The man gave his best, reassuring, bedside manner smile. "Dr. Beckett is on his way."

A nurse appeared on the other side adjusting, checking, and injecting. She smiled at him.

He tried to sort through what his last actual memory was. Instead, a hand touched him on his arm making him jump and derailing the thought train.

"I seem to be having that effect on people today," greeted a very bloodshot eyed Elizabeth.

"Not a warrior," he whispered. He grew more agitated and voiced a little louder, "Not a warrior."

Weir started searching for a doctor.

"Killed by wraith or Kolya." Tears trickled down his face. "Broke your neck."

Beckett entered the infirmary and made his way to Weir.

"He's awake but not making sense." She held Rodney's hand.

"Rodney, it's Carson. Do ya know where ya are?" Carson kept his face in McKay's.

"Not a warrior." He was not good enough. The wraith said so.

"Rodney focus. What happened?" Weir forced herself to switch into her role as leader.

"Elizabeth?" McKay noticed her for the first time. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Weir looked between McKay and Beckett obviously confused.

"Killed you." It was almost inaudible.

"He's a little befuddled by the medication and the trauma," explained Carson. "He'll get more coherent as time moves on."

Weir nodded continuing to hold Rodney's hand as he slipped back into sleep.

-------------

Dr. Biro stepped back from the body. She had visually inspected every inch of it. Compound fractures in both legs, a dislocated shoulder, broken ribs, contusions to the head and neck, multiple lacerations and contusions in different places, environmental exposure and last but not least, two strange yet separate markings on his head and abdomen were evident.

The two strange markings did not seem related. One was a burn mark on his forehead and the other an entry wound by a three pronged instrument. They all had these abdomen wounds in common. He was the only one with the burn mark. He and the others looked as if they had been for a ride in a rock tumbler. They all had multiple broken bones; he was in the worst shape though.

Dr. Biro looked down at the table of instruments and back over to her assistant, Dr. Lindsey. "Well, let's get started." She turned on the recording device and picked up the scalpel.

The visible physical injuries did not seem immediately life threatening. The hand shaped contusions around the neck plus other signs suggesting strangulation. Then there were the trio of puncture marks- injection maybe? The burn mark, she could not even hazard a guess. They would hopefully learn more after she opened him up.

She took a deep breath and looked down at the face of Col. Sheppard one last time. He looked as if he was just taking an afternoon nap. She started her incision.

Her assistant screamed and backed away from the table quickly.

Annoyed, Dr. Biro glowered at the young woman until she followed her line of sight.

She stood stone still. Sheppard's eyes were open and then they dilated. Biro held the scalpel as still as herself and watched his eyes close. She and Dr. Lindsey exchanged appalled looks. Biro carefully extracted the scalpel, but no blood flowed.

"Get monitors, get those labs done and get Beckett down here now. We need to check the others." Biro grabbed some gauze and placed it over the incision. "We have questions that need answering."

---------------

"What on earth could that woman be smoking?" Beckett said under his breath as he came charging down the corridor to the morgue. He stopped in the doorway and bellowed, "What do ya mean they're not dead?" He was hanging onto the door jam for support and panting from the sprint.

"They show an involuntary and very specific response to pain. But, there are no breath sounds, no heart sounds and no higher brain activity. There is no organ function at all, yet they have localized muscle movement and no cellular decay. It is as if they were preserved or frozen or... I have no idea." Biro gave her report as detached as possible. She was still unnerved from her experience.

"Has any of the blood work come back yet?" Beckett asked.

"No, but look." She walked over to Teyla and rolled her onto her side. "No collection of blood in the back. I believe that is the way she was found, correct? I missed that on my precursory examination."

"The blood did not pool back there? I noticed he had a lot of his original pigmentation when I came down with Dr. Weir," said Beckett pointing to Sheppard. "Just did not think much on it."

"Now watch." Biro picked up an instrument with a handle and a free moving wheel on the end. It had tiny spikes protruding from the wheel. While pressing hard, she ran the wheel across Teyla's palm.

Teyla's eyes opened and her eyes dilated adjusting to the light in the room. Biro pulled the instrument away and Teyla's eyes closed.

Carson's brain left for holiday. When it came back, he tried to kick the sand out of its imagined flip flops. His mind was trying to wrap itself around what he had just witnessed. They were clinically dead- almost fourteen hours dead. The monitors attached to each individual confirmed it. A simple instrument did not.

Maybe a drug of some sort was injected. Or some device was used on them. Or the wicked witch cast a spell. He needed the lab work done yesterday.

"Transfer them to the infirmary. Let's get them scanned by the bed, maybe it will reveal something." He looked at each placid face. He would figure this out.

He grabbed Sheppard's gurney and noticed the bandage on his sternum. Now he realized how Dr. Biro had come to her conclusion. She had started the autopsy. He shook the thought off and started moving the newly resurrected team to his infirmary.

His next step would be to rouse Rodney from his stupor. The answer man needed to live up to his name.

---------------

_In the dim light of the corridor he saw Sheppard and Ronon in front of him. One pressed up on each side of the hall. Sheppard clutched his P90 and Ronon clutched his hand cannon. Rodney inched forward stealthily as a perceptive grin reached Sheppard's face._

_"Glad you could make it Killer." He faced Rodney. "Wraith are here Superman. Don't think they have Kryptonite but you'd better detonate that bomb," he said pointing to Rodney's hands._

_McKay looked down at his sixth grade science project. "Nah, think I'll finish what I started."_

_Bomb forgotten, he moved supernaturally quick and pinned Sheppard against the wall. His borrowed knife magically appeared in his hand and he thrust it home into the soft skin. Sheppard shuddered and terror filled his eyes._

_It was not right. Sheppard did not show terror. Not at this. He had shown amused arrogance in those quicksilver eyes, because he knew the nano-bots would take care of the injury. Sheppard also knew he had the upper hand and had distracted Rodney so Lt. Cadman could gain entrance to the Gate room. No, he had seen that terror somewhere else. He had seen that terror for real. Then Sheppard screamed and he just knew he had heard that scream for real._

_He tried to cover Sheppard's mouth with his hand. He tried to block out the sound. His humanity tried to pry its way into the situation. It tried to remind him of who he was. He tried to ignore it._

_Rodney turned to Ronon, "Help me keep him quiet."_

_Ronon was face down on the floor not moving. A cold force gripped McKay and lifted him off the floor. At the same time, Sheppard was lifted up the wall by another unseen force._

_"Not a warrior," was whispered like a condemnation in his ear. And then he was Superman flying through the air back down the corridor. Sheppard's screams echoed down the hall after him. He just knew he had done this before and for real._

_Sweet._

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_A/N: Glad y'all are enjoying this. See, I told you, it was just acting like a death fic. Even stories like costumes. Now please leave me a treat- review._


	5. Red

Chapter 5 

Red

Electric, red Kool-aid. That was the extent of his immediate world. It was all he saw and he was not sure seeing was the right description. He had tried looking down, up, and side to side. All he perceived was red. Nothing else. No hands. No body. No infirmary ceiling- and that was what he had been expecting.

Sheppard's last clear memory was of the clearing in the forest. He had come face to face with Rodney. Their terror reflected back at each other.

Something had been stalking them since their flight from the village. They had tried to loop away from their pursuer and remain off the path. They were hopefully dodging whatever it was chasing them. He let Teyla and Dex lead; their tracking abilities were a tad better than his own. McKay was in his customary middle position and he brought up their six.

He caught movement out of the corner of his eye that stopped him cold. Dex must have seen it too because he halted as well.

"Get down," Sheppard whispered into the radio.

He saw it again. It was a wisp of a disturbance, almost like a…

"Teyla sense anything?"

_"No Colonel."_

_"What? Wraith?"_ McKay squeaked.

_"I don't see anything Sheppard,"_ reported Dex.

"OK, move out cautiously." Sheppard had a full blown case of the heebie-jeebies coupled with the willies now.

The wisp moved directly in front of them.

"What the hell was that?" McKay yelled.

Now that was the McKay he knew and snarled at. Sheppard clasped his hand over McKay's mouth and dragged him down.

Terrified, McKay struggled.

"Cut it out, it's me." Sheppard hissed and clamped his hand even firmer. "Ronon what do you see or hear?"

_"Just the illusions. I don't hear anyone or anything."_

"OK let's keep going." He released McKay's mouth and shot a warning glare at him, "Quietly."

They continued moving carefully through the forest, an almost full moon providing illumination.

_"Sheppard, maybe we should just take our chances on the path and make a run for it. Whatever is tracking us is really good. I can't see or hear it. It's playing with us."_

He mulled over Ronon's suggestion. Damn if this wasn't the ol' cat and mouse scenario. He really hated being the mouse once again.

_"I agree Colonel,"_ interjected Teyla. _"It or they already know we are here."_

"Might as well make a run for it, hunh?" Sheppard answered. He whispered to McKay, "Are you up for this?"

"Do I have a choice? And by the way, what the hell is on your hand? It tastes like the ass end of Big Foot." McKay spat saliva on the forest floor.

"Shut up McKay," answered Sheppard half exasperated and half amused. He looked forward to Ronon and Teyla, "And run!"

The entire team took off down the path: Ronon in the lead, followed by Teyla, then Sheppard and Rodney bringing up the rear. The pathway opened up into a clearing when the wisp of a phantom blocked their way. Ronon skidded to a halt and pulled his weapon. Teyla halted and looked to her left where another being stood studying her. Sheppard came to an abrupt stop and Rodney plowed right into him.

"Ow! Damn colonel you need brake lights!" Rodney exclaimed rubbing his nose.

Sheppard could not answer and realized McKay had hit him in the lower back and upper thigh. Alright, his ass, McKay got a face full of Sheppard's ass. That was due to him being unbelievably suspended in midair as if he was on a wire. He felt a hand on his arm then heard a yelp and a thud farther behind him.

His entire body was encased in an icy, cold grip.

"Acceptable." A voice breathlessly said. "Why do you fight?"

He found himself flying backwards through the air until he hit a tree. He dropped straight down to the forest floor. The impact with the ground dislocated his shoulder.

That's when he looked up and into the frightened eyes of Rodney McKay. McKay reached for him and his forearm was snapped like a piece of chalk. Then he and Rodney were whipped into the air by the frigid source as a scream escaped Rodney's mouth and a yell from Sheppard's. Sheppard was hauled one way and Rodney the other. He was thrown back into a tree and this time held there. The force of the hit pushed the air out of his lungs and a ghostly face appeared before him.

"A warrior." The voice encircled him. "But this will not do. Not yours."

Sheppard tried to move his head but it was held in place. A transparent hand reached for his forehead and pierced it. It was like a fiery icicle with fingers flipping through his brain like a Rolodex. Images popped in and left, the memories of his team from his encounter with the Pavilion of Acquirement including those of Ford's were removed.

'Not those. Let me keep those,' he sadly pleaded in his thoughts as his screams echoed through the night air.

"Now you're ready," the voice pronounced with certainty.

Barely cognizant of his surroundings, he looked feebly down. Another robed man approached holding a scepter with three prongs extending out the end.

"Prepare oh my brother, yours is the great sacrifice," he declared.

"I decline," coughed Sheppard mustering as much defiance as possible.

He was slammed into the ground where he felt and heard both legs make cracking sounds. He was pulled back up and pinned to the tree once more.

Robes 2 paused but ultimately ignored him and carried out his purpose. The priest held the scepter up and touched it to Sheppard's abdomen. Sharp needles punctured his skin and a cold sensation crept through him. Once it had filtered into every crevasse, he went numb. It was like being trapped under the ice and drowning.

Then a switch must have been flipped, the icy sensation was vacuumed out of him. Everything that made John Sheppard, John Sheppard left with it. For a split second he had a sensation of falling but no memory of hitting the ground.

Now all he had was red, cherry Kool-aid.

So now what?

Sheppard decided to try an obvious and carefully crafted tactic.

"Hello?"

--------------

_A/N: Well at least it wasn't raining. So you see, they are feeling better...or are they? Let John know you are there, please review. _


	6. Volunteered

Chapter 6 

Volunteered

Sheppard was pulled from the sea of red and instantaneously placed in a small room. He felt wrong.

"Aah Protector, you have integrated." A young man approached him wearing garments similar to the two previous robed individuals just less ornate. "Let's get a look at you then."

After a moment of disorientation, he viewed the area immediately in front of him. The third priest to make his acquaintance stood there smiling. His robes were dark blue to match his eyes. It was striking even to Sheppard who usually did not notice such things.

"Wonderful! Welcome oh my brother and on behalf of Mina, we thank you for the Sacrifice."

"Well I'll be damned if I don't say this way too often but- excuse me?" Sheppard tried looking around but found- for whatever reason- he could not. He had to let the dizziness pass.

"Oh Protector please, stop moving. You are unable to do so yet. With time and training, you will be able to repel any attackers. But right now you are still becoming accustomed to the new existence." The young, curly, dark, headed priest's concerned face and body moved behind him out of sight.

"I'll let you rest. We can talk later."

John panicked, "No, wait!"

And then he was back to the red Kool-aid as fear, curiosity and anger intermixed throughout him.

What the hell was this?

---------------

_"Hey Killer," Sheppard whispered in his ear. Their cheeks touched from the intimate move. "That's right, enjoyed yourself didn't you? Snap a neck, gut a friend, slit a throat, all equally thrilling and satisfying." Sheppard circled him in his mission gear. "What's next? Up for a challenge? How about Beckett? Poison. Slow, undetectable. Exhilarating isn't it?"_

_McKay grinned wickedly as a thrill rippled through him. "Needles, I'll show **him** how to use needles."_

_He looked down at a restrained Beckett lying on one of his own gurneys. McKay picked up a syringe and pulled the plunger back._

_"Who needs the poison? The air we breathe is just as deadly."_

_He drank in the scent of fear and sent the syringe home._

_Not a care in the world._

"Rodney," _said Beckett._ "Rodney, your team needs your help."

McKay's eyes snapped open. That was not right.

They were dead.

Sheppard was dead.

Teyla was dead.

Ronon was dead.

He was alone.

"Beyond my help," he commiserated. "Killed by ghosts."

"Only mostly dead Rodney." Beckett leaned over him. "They are in a state of preservation. They are not truly dead."

Beckett looked across to someone else.

"Rodney, do you remember anything?" Weir took her turn and leaned over him.

"Not a warrior."

"What does that mean?" Weir asked.

"The wraith said I wasn't a warrior and flung me away like so much garbage." Rodney was becoming agitated again. He placed his good arm over his eyes.

"Wraith? No one had a feeding mark." Beckett turned a perplexed face towards Weir.

"Poltergeists, apparitions, spooks, non-corporeal entities. They took him and flung him too. I tried to help; I was too late, too weak. But he's a warrior, so is Teyla and Ronon." Rodney inhaled deeply and continued on the exhale, "Not me, I'm just a murderer."

"No Rodney, you're not. Not a soldier or a murderer," Weir stated supportively. She knew this was going to throw him back. She needed to call Heightmeyer in.

Carson patted him on his good arm. "Get some rest."

"No more sleeping, no more dreaming." It was a plea.

"I'll see if I can't help with that." Carson reached for another syringe and injected it.

---------------

Teyla was sure this was how the fruit in the Jell-o cups felt. Trapped.

She was thinking back to the flight from the village. They had reached a clearing and she remembered Ronon coming to an unexpected halt. Someone or something was watching them from the front and from the side. The being from the side was on her before she could present a defensive stance. She was sure it would not have mattered.

A deep cold grabbed her and smashed her into one of the very large trees. Teyla felt her ribs break and her lower back crack as well. She fell to the ground and her ankle landed in a very wrong position.

She could not see Col. Sheppard or Dr. McKay but their cries reached her ears. It was agony.

A face appeared before her and smiled. "We missed you. You are acceptable."

Teyla was lifted back up the tree. She was not sure how long she was suspended there but a thud to her right wanted her attention. Unable move, she could not turn her head to give it; she could only speculate that it was Ronon. A man in robes approached with an entourage of vassals carrying red cubes.

"Prepare oh my sister, yours is the great sacrifice."

The robed man placed a pronged instrument into her stomach and injected a liquid ice throughout her body. That is when she screamed. Then everything that made Teyla Emmagan, Teyla Emmagan was removed.

Now she floated in a world of red absence. She felt like nothing until a tingle and a disorienting pull landed her in a nondescript room. No windows, a few lights, a table and stonewalls were pretty much it.

"Welcome oh my sister and on behalf of Mina, we thank you for your sacrifice." A young priest gave her a genuinely thankful smile.

She stared at him unsure how to answer.

"The procedure is now complete. You are now a Protector," he said proudly waiting for her response.

"I do not understand."

Now the young man was confused. It was clearly not the response he was expecting. "Usually there is no memory loss. You volunteered to be a Protector did you not?"

"No I did not. Where are my friends?" She was quickly becoming uneasy and frankly, a little scared. She did not remove her gaze from the young man.

"You did not? Your friends? I do not understand." His brow furrowed. "You have been chosen as a Protector of Mina. Those that were brought here with you are right here too."

He walked over to a table that held three red cubes. They were about four inches in height, width and length.

She tried to follow his movement with her head but queasiness overtook her. It felt wrong.

Realizing her movement, the young man put his hands up in a placating gesture. "Please stay still. You are not ready for such manipulations yet."

Teyla let the wrongness subside and returned her attention to the priest. "May I see them?"

"Sure…I guess so. Although, I do not understand why you are here if you did not volunteer?" He walked back over to the table shaking his head. A row of four buttons ran across the base of the boxes. He pressed one of them and Ronon materialized before her. Standing straight, he looked queasy for a moment. The priest pressed the button on another cube and then Col. Sheppard appeared with the same disorientation as well.

Relief spread across each face as eyes met until Sheppard asked, "Where's McKay?" He fixed the young priest with a hard glare. "Where is the fourth member of my team?"

The young man's confusion grew. "No one else arrived with you." He walked to the middle of the group. "Did you volunteer for the Sacrifice?"

"No," answered Ronon with a glower.

"Don't remember being asked, sort of just attacked us," offered Sheppard.

The young man blanched. "You were taken by force?" Now he seemed very upset. "I am sorry. Those who do this are volunteers. They give freely and except the mantle with pride."

"Do what exactly?" Teyla asked with distrust coloring her voice.

"Protect the rest during a culling so that they might escape," he explained. "You are the defenders and protectors of Mina."

"Well Skippy, we have _**not**_ volunteered for this," Sheppard emphatically pointed out. "And would like to return through the Stargate back to our home." To punctuate his statement he attempted to fold his arms in front of him. The queasiness returned and his entire body blurred for a second.

"Colonel?" Startled, Teyla studied Sheppard then Ronon. A sickening realization struck her. "We cannot return to our normal lives can we?"

Ronon and Sheppard looked at her and the look on their faces proved they knew what she meant with the clarity of crystal. Their relief in seeing each other and their worry for their missing teammate had clouded their perspective. They simply had just not noticed it before now. It was funny really- funny horrifying.

They were looking through each other.

"No, you cannot. You have shed your mortal flesh."

----------------

_A/N: Sorry for the delay. Had to watch football (my team lost), take out the garbage and entertain a few friends. I still maintain this is not a death fic, except that it is. So give our undead team a little support, please review. Watch out though, they may eat your brains if you're not careful. _; )


	7. Limbo?

Chapter 7 

Limbo?

_A hockey stick was a much more elegant weapon than a baseball bat._

_"This is called checking into the boards," Rodney instructed Ronon as he pushed the big man's head into the glass._

_Rodney skated off effortlessly to make a loop around the rink. He skated back over to his teammate picking up speed._

_"This is a hook." He took the end of the stick and pulled Ronon over by the waist. Ronon scrambled to get back up. Rodney deliberately skated around the rink again. And again he returned to Ronon._

_"And this is a trip." He looped his stick around his teammate's ankle and lifted. The back of Ronon's head smacked the ice. Rodney came to a classic hockey stop right next to Ronon's prone form._

_"And this is called a slice." Rodney brought his skate down right into Ronon's face._

_He grasped his chin and struck a thoughtful pose. "Oh wait, that's a golf term." He looked back down at his handiwork. "Ew, looks like that smarts."_

_Sheppard banged his fists on the glass while whooping and hollering from the stands._

_Rodney held his stick over his head in victory._

_What a thrill._

His eyes flew open again as his breath caught in his throat.

A new, yet familiar face came into view.

"K-Kate, the dreams Kate, they're back."

"I know Rodney. You were talking in your sleep." Heightmeyer gave him a warm, comforting smile. "It's understandable Rodney. You witnessed what you thought was the death of your team."

"So it's true, I wasn't hallucinating?" A moment of relief flickered on his face. But he knew there had to be more.

"No, no hallucinations. They are in a suspended state- neither alive nor dead. The medical staff is still running tests. They are right over there behind those screens." Kate pointed to a blocked off area of the infirmary. She grabbed a chair and sat down next to the bed. "They need your help. What do you remember?"

He closed his eyes and searched. It was there and it was not part of those dreams.

"We left early, just after midnight. We were being followed by something after we left the village. It knew we were there so we made a run for it. Glaringly obvious it didn't work. Never let a barbarian dictate strategy."

"Something grabbed Sheppard and hung him in the air. I wanted to laugh and tell him turn about is fair play. I knew better; so I went to grab his arm to help him and something threw me back the way we came. I landed and it took me a few seconds to gain my bearings. Then Sheppard lands right in front of me."

Rodney stopped for a moment. "Kate, he was…scared. I looked him right in the eye and tried to reach for him. Something took a hold of my forearm and snapped it like a twig. By the way, that hurt...a lot. Then we were both pulled back into the air. A…a…voice…"

Rodney just sat there.

"Rodney take your time." Heightmeyer waited patiently.

"A voice told me, 'not a warrior' and I was thrown back down the path. It took me a very long time to get back to them." He frowned and his eyes darted everywhere but at her. "I was too late."

"Something grabbed you? You could not see it?" She studied his face intently; he was still trying to make sense out of the event.

"Like a ghost or a poltergeist. It could move solid matter easily." He started cogitating and his eyes darted around the room even faster. "Probably some sort of magnetic or electrical field. There are no such things as ghosts of course but it could have been some technology we have not come across yet or a variation on some we have."

Heightmeyer nodded and kept her face neutral. "Do you know what happened to put them in this state of limbo?"

"It is limbo isn't it? Not much on that type of thing but your analogy is a good one." He tried to sit up.

"Here let me help." She raised the bed up to a reclined seated position.

"No, I was pretty much out cold after the whatever tossed me. All I heard was Sheppard…Well, all I heard was Sheppard screaming and then nothing after I hit the ground."

"You also mentioned your team left early. What happened?" She kept her demeanor calm and her voice level. She was anything but.

"Someone attacked Ronon and Sheppard at the little four star slum they called a hotel. I think they tried to strangle them or something. I didn't get the whole story, no time." He finally settled his gaze on her, "That whole running for your life thing."

She gave him a placating smile and said, "Very good Rodney."

He gave her a soured glare in return and grumbled, "Don't patronize me. I'm not a puppy to be given a treat because I did a trick."

"I'm sorry, you're right. I didn't mean for it to come out that way." She looked embarrassed.

"I haven't totally regressed. I saw Teyla and Ronon after I crawled back; I guess they went through something similar. It's just very terrifying to be unable to fight back or to see your friend tossed like a doll. The whatevers left me to die or suffer or I don't know. There was nothing we could do."

"You felt powerless. Your team was powerless. That is something hard to accept. It was like when you had no control with the Wraith mind." Heightmeyer cocked her head and waited for his reaction to her last statement.

He just nodded.

She continued. "Tell me about some of the dreams."

"Oh you know, the same old, same old. Murder, apathy and perversion, I'm supposed to help humanity not extinguish it." He wrung his hands and tried to look casual. "This last one had a hockey motif. I wonder if my subconscious is just upset that the Stanley Cup was won by a team from Florida. Florida for God's sake! A team from Canada lost to a team from Florida. It doesn't even snow in Florida. Unbelievable."

"Maybe Rodney, but you know better than that."

"Yeah I know." He released his hands and slumped against his pillows. "I know."

Heightmeyer looked him in the eyes. "Don't try and hide from yourself, Rodney."

-------------

The rest of Rodney's team was trying to come to terms with their new anti-life.

Sheppard was darkly contemplative. He had not noticed the lack of breathing, the lack of hunger, the lack of a heartbeat or the lack of any other body functions. He had not even noticed that he was thinking out loud and not using his mouth.

Soon after their little discovery of being apparitions- for lack of a better term- the young priest replaced them in the glowing red cubes. They had been reduced to toys. Now kids put away your dolls, trucks, blocks and Atlantis team members.

He was officially freaked out. He could not think of a way out of this situation. Situation- ha! - This was a catastrophe. They were otherworldly impressions of their former selves. This was akin to a rape. Forcibly removed from their bodies and imprisoned in their own little cubicles of damnation with nothing but their morose thoughts to keep them company. He had no control.

It was enough to make him wish he was really dead.

--------------

Teyla was in a similar line of reflection. This was worse than being culled. It was a half-life, one she had not consented to. This existence was constricting; she needed the open space. This little box was far from the great open sky on Athos or Atlantis' home planet. Her future removed and replaced with this farce.

She would handle this, at least she hoped she would. She hoped Col. Sheppard could handle this. Ronon was a different matter. He had already confessed to not being able to just sit and wait. This would definitely be a challenge to his nature. She hoped he would not go mad from the confinement.

She had to place her faith in Atlantis that they would come looking. If they did not, she would rather be released into the hereafter than remain here. This was no way to not live or not die.

--------------

And if Ronon could hear Teyla, he would so totally agree. He had eluded the Wraith for seven years and now he had been captured without so much as a fight.

The things that had stalked them had been good, silent, and efficient. One blocked their way and then he was airborne until a tree stopped him. The force made his head crack against the trunk and his ribs were definitely injured. He was held against the tree unable to fight or move or breathe for that matter.

He could not see anyone else but he could hear Sheppard and McKay. He could also hear a scuffle to his left, he guessed Teyla. Anger welled up and he could do nothing. Then a priest jabs him with the pronged fork thing and he knew why Sheppard had cried out. He was not about to give these people that satisfaction. He had endured torture by the Wraith and never called out. This was no different.

Now he was trapped in a small box in a sea of red. This was at the top of his list as a form of hell. He could not pace; he could not throw anything; he could not growl; and he could not even yell. He could only float and think. He could not stand this. Seven years of running had not driven him insane, anti-social maybe, but not insane. This definitely would.

He needed to move. He needed to move. He needed to move. He needed to move.

--------------

_A/N: Thank you for all the feedback, I'm in utter shock! Now we have had everyone's account, I guess it's time to move like Ronon wants to do. So please review and let the team know you care! _


	8. Brimstone

Chapter 8 

Brimstone

Late on the third day of being back, Rodney lay in the hospital bed. Now that he was not so confused and was physically stronger, Beckett introduced the nano-bots to heal his broken bones. It would take two or three days for them to knit his injuries as opposed to taking two or three months with casts. It was less itchy too.

They had problems programming the little devils for soft tissue repair. Even the bed could not get the little bugs to fix the right thing. After a few disastrous simulations, they put the little buggers on the back burner. For whatever reason, broken bones were easy. Carson theorized that Sheppard had unconsciously directed the bots to do the right repair work in him after the programming. Unfortunately even under Sheppard's guidance, the little sprites were no match for the retro-virus. It had practically laughed in their little faces and obliterated them. They would keep studying them though.

He could see and hear the activity around his team's beds. Beckett had toyed with the idea of putting them on life support. What was the point? Their bodies were not dying and it would not make much difference. They just laid there not doing anything except react to light or so he was told. Beckett would not let him see them yet.

He let out a sigh. Three days, his team had been in this state for three days. Beckett informed him that an undercover team was on its way to the planet. They were going as refugees. Three or four Athosians would accompany them and Halling would be amongst them. Their leader was affected as was Atlantis' head military officer. They would be gone for a while and only make contact at schedule times or if the situation warranted. He wished he could go with them or did he?

He had also heard from other sources (Radek) that the Daedalus was on its way back and would be here in less than 24 hours. Caldwell would take command of Atlantis from Major Lorne and assume the duties until Sheppard was either declared officially unfit or returned to his irascible self.

It was no secret that Weir and Caldwell were less than friends. Life on Atlantis was about to get more interesting.

He lifted his laptop from the side table carefully. He started tapping away on his mission report. He was hoping that writing it down might jog some bit of knowledge he had overlooked- so far nothing. He had to do this, so he sang to himself to get through it.

Damn, the loneliness hurt so badly. He wished he could shut it off.

---------------

Weir smiled. He looked so normal typing away, all be it with one hand. She crossed the infirmary and could hear him half humming and half singing to himself.

Her blood ran cold.

_"All around the cobblers bench; The monkey chased the weasel; The monkey thought it was all in fun; Pop goes the weasel."_

He repeated it over and over.

"Rodney? What are you up to?" She approached warily.

"Oh hey Elizabeth. Just writing my mission report." He glanced at the partitioned area. "Hoped it would help but it hasn't."

Her fears calmed somewhat. It was Rodney McKay she was talking to, no one else.

"What was that tune you were just humming?" She wondered if he had even known he was doing it.

"It was just…" The blood drained from his face. "Oh God Elizabeth, I'm sorry. I didn't realize…it just popped in there."

"Rodney it's OK. No crime in reciting nursery rhymes. It just concerned me for a moment there."

"Yes, yes I suppose it would." His eyes flitted everywhere but at her. "I'll try to um…try to…"

"Rodney let it go." Weir smiled benignly and grasped his arm. "The team will be leaving in the next hour. Hopefully, they can ascertain what happened and if there is a way to fix it. Let's keep our fingers crossed."

He smiled sadly back at her when he answered, "I'll imbibe in a little superstitious nonsense this one time."

----------------

"Training?" Incredulity tinged Sheppard's voice. "What do you mean training?"

"You need to learn how to move in your new form," responded the young priest.

"By the way, what's your name?" Sheppard asked trying to maintain a cordial tone that he did not feel.

"I am sorry, my name is Brother Mede." The young man gave a bow.

"OK Brother Mede, I have a better idea. You go to the Stargate, dial up the address I gave you, and inform them we are here. Well, sort of here." Sheppard leveled a cold glare at Mede and successfully folded his arms over his chest.

Mede had given a few instructions on movement. Since they no longer used muscles, it was all in the head. Think it and it would be done. With Sheppard's ability to manipulate Ancient devices so easily, he caught on quick.

"I am working on it. I have been sequestered to the abbey for a while now and am trying to figure out who to trust. I must be discreet. Plus, news that Chancellor Refra has guards posted at the Ancestral Ring has reached my ears. You need his permission to use it." He looked at all three of them. "I am working on it. Please believe me."

"I can't stay like this," Ronon rumbled. "It is too confining."

Sheppard had been watching him. Ronon reminded him of the bears at the zoo, the need for unending pacing and turning in circles. He could do neither. Ronon had mastered a few small moves but there was desperation in his body language. Sheppard was holding it together by a thread, so for someone like Ronon who was used to being on the run- oof. At least Sheppard had the discipline of sitting in a cockpit for hours on end, this was not that much different.

Teyla seemed to be handling this reasonably well. He knew it was a practiced exterior she was presenting. Years of leadership and negotiations were serving her well.

He wished he knew where McKay was. Not much he could do but worry. Atlantis must have sent a rescue team. If he was out there, hopefully, they found him.

The padre here had little information; he was out of the loop. Poor kid was doing his best or Sheppard hoped he was. Once again, not much he could do if the kid was stringing them along. He said he had asked about a fourth volunteer (ha ha) but no one knew what he was talking about.

Mede had found out that the Protectors used to collect them were borrowed by Refra against the High Abbot's wishes. Usually, members of the order were used to facilitate the Protectors but this time Refra's personal guard had been used. They had had complete control over the Protectors and that really bothered Sheppard. This brought in the question of freewill and the ability of these people to subvert it.

"Please oh my brothers and sister, let's get back to training," pleaded Brother Mede. "Now as I have instructed, it is all mental."

"Even though we don't have brains?" Sheppard asked dourly. He unconsciously waited for the sarcastic reply from McKay. He had left such a wide opening that Rodney would have had a retort ready. Of course, none came.

"Your souls are kept in the cubes. They project- through means beyond my limited knowledge- your perceived image. You are more than a projection. You are able to interact with the physical world."

"Yeah, I kind of noticed that when I was thrown against a tree, repeatedly," said Sheppard grimly.

Mede cringed.

Sheppard studied the room turning in a circle. He did not use his legs, but his whole body just disappeared and reappeared in the position he wanted. The room did not look like an Ancient outpost. They had one design scheme and this was not it. However, the technology could still be Ancient. Damn he hoped Rodney was safe, because he would certainly know what to do.

"Protector 14, you are learning so quickly!" Mede clapped his hands proudly.

"Sheppard. My name is Lt. Col. John Sheppard. You can call me Col. Sheppard," John stated evenly.

Teyla looked down at her feet and smirked. Ronon let out a snort.

"You have designations. You are Protector 14. She is Protector 15. He is Protector 16," replied Mede pointing to each one.

"No, I'm Col. Sheppard. She is Teyla Emmagan. He is Specialist Ronon Dex. Those are our designations." Sheppard clarified belligerently.

"But…" Mede began.

"No." Sheppard crossed his arms again. "Let's get on with this training thing."

Flustered Brother Mede continued his instruction. "You must think of where you want to be. Now Specialist Ronon Dex…"

"Dex."

Still flustered Mede nodded his head and continued again. "Now Dex…look at…Teyla?"

She gave a respectful nod.

"Look at Teyla and envision yourself standing next to her. Think of the spot you want to be and go there."

Ronon focused his attention on Teyla and the spot next to her. He disappeared in a swirl of smoke and manifested himself next to Teyla. Relief spread across his body, he could move.

"Very good Dex!" Brother Mede congratulated him. "You are progressing with each attempt."

Dex just nodded. It was a dubious honor.

Sheppard started laughing. "We're Night Crawler!"

Ronon and Teyla looked confused and a little alarmed at his behavior.

He gave a broad, arrogant smile, "I'll show you _**when**_ we get back." He then gave a sharp glare to Mede.

Mede exhaled dejectedly. "Well I think you have done enough and the vessels need to be recharged."

"Recharged?" Teyla queried. "They are not self sustaining?"

"Oh no, they must be placed back into the Vestibule. It is that room right over there." He pointed to a door opposite of the entrance to the room. "Don't worry; we make sure that all vessels are maintained properly. We have never lost a Protector due to inadequate recharging."

The team exchanged wide-eyed looks of concern as Mede pressed the button on each cube. One by one Sheppard's team went back to being flotsam on a crimson sea.

The toys were put back in the box.

----------------

_A/N:OK, there may be one more update before the weekend. There may not be anymore until we see what Wilma does. Wilma is not a Betty. Thank you for all the reviews! Support all our little jack-in-the-boxes. See ya on the flip side._


	9. Infiltration

Chapter 9 

Infiltration

Guards had been stationed at the Gate much to Major Lorne's dismay. Getting off the planet just became a little harder. He followed Halling to a tent everyone who exited the wormhole was being herded into. He had already agreed to let Halling do most of the talking.

It was a mini Ellis Island. Officials were interviewing other travelers as they entered the stifling tent. They were directed over to a table where a surly and self-important guard was waiting.

"You're refugees?" He asked clearly disinterested in the answer. He did keep a wary eye on the group.

"Yes," answered Halling, "Our home of Kentucky was culled. There are so few of us left that we were hoping to stay here a little while and look for work. We were also hoping others from our home had come here."

The man picked at his teeth. A commotion on the other side of the tent grabbed everyone's attention.

"Please! We have nowhere else to go!"

"No goods, no skills, no stay," An armed guard told a man flatly. "Take him and his family back to the Ring."

The man, his wife and children were removed from the tent.

Their interrogator gave them a bland look. "You have any skills or goods of interest to barter with?"

The team had made themselves look desperately poor and haggard. They even swapped out the tell-tale Atlantis footwear for Pegasus Galaxy footwear.

"Yes, we know farming and hunting. We also have a few relics left to us from the Ancestors." Halling portrayed the icon of subservience and humility.

Lorne was amazed the man had made himself shrink so as not to appear so imposing.

"You are in luck. We are in need of field hands for the harvest. We will issue you a work pass for the fields. When the season is over you must leave." He sneered at the group, "Or you will be forcibly removed. You may stay at the public house in the middle of Mina until something can be permanently arranged."

He handed each member a piece of paper to get them in the gate at Mina and to obtain work once settled.

"Your generosity is appreciated. May the Ancestors watch and keep you." Halling gave a small bow with his head and led everyone out of the tent.

"That went well," observed Lorne a short distance down the main path. "I didn't expect that. When we were here last, no guards."

"They were looking for someone, maybe us."

Lorne looked back at the young man who spoke. He was not usually on his team but Lorne wanted to be prepared. Williams was a member of the Special Ops team stationed at Atlantis.

"What do you mean?"

"No guards until after our people are attacked. They probably knew when we retrieved their bodies and did not want us to return unexpectedly. This is a good sign that our people are here and recoverable."

The group nodded in agreement.

"Well let's go see a man about a room." Where there was hope there was a way, thought Lorne.

They made the three hour walk and gained entrance into the village. The locals barely even noticed them. Apparently, that was different than Sheppard's team's reception. He had received a partial report from McKay before he left. He had reiterated the strange excitement that seemed to flow through the locals. They were staying in the same hostel the team had stayed in. Hopefully, they would not have any uninvited guests but maybe they could overhear a little gossip.

They followed the main roadway to the hostel's door. Once inside they bartered for four rooms, they would have to double up. Lorne did not mind, the buddy system had its advantages.

The group was lead by Halling and Major Lorne. The one borrowed team member (Williams), Jones, and Dennison rounded out the Atlantis personnel.

Feris, Meka and Janna rounded out the Athosians. They were all capable fighters and trackers. They felt honor bound to aid Teyla in her time of need.

Lorne had toyed with the idea of bringing medical or scientific personnel. Usually, they stuck out like neon pink in a sea of beige when traveling off world. He really did not want that. He would call on their service if needed. The Daedalus might be called in as well especially now the Gate is somewhat cut off. They would check-in and relay that little bit of news in a day and a half. They were going to stay as long as they could, the reception at the Gate had peaked the interest of the entire team. There was something going on.

Lorne followed Halling up the stairs to their rooms. The Athosians were at a loss. Their leader was not dead yet not alive. In their experience it had been one or the other. Their belief system did not include limbo, so to them this was a mission to complete the journey to the other side or bring her back to this one.

When Lorne was talking with McKay, he saw Halling visiting with Teyla. He was searching for what her wishes would be and maybe provide him with answers he sorely needed. Halling convinced Weir that the Athosians should be included in this mission. Personally, Lorne was glad they were here. They had insight into dealing with the locals.

He finally understood what Sheppard and Weir saw in their allies.

They came to their rooms. Now it was time to blend in with the populace. They would keep their eyes and ears open. They would keep their mouths shut. It was time to get to work. It was time to get something to eat.

--------------

Brother Mede beamed at his pupils. "You have come along way in such a short time."

His pupils were not as enthused. They returned the compliment with half-hearted smiles and nods.

"It is time to move forward oh my brothers and sister. I will introduce you to your Facilitators." Mede stepped to the door of the room and motioned three young women in.

"Col. Sheppard this is Ganede." Mede pointed to a slender dark skinned young woman with striking blue eyes. She merely acknowledged him with a small bow. He smirked back at her.

"Dex this is Trece." He pointed to a petite blonde woman. Dex glared at her stopping short of snarling. She also merely gave a small bow.

"Teyla this is Marcin." Mede pointed to the last young woman. She was about Teyla's height and age. She also bowed. Teyla returned it with one of her own.

"They are novices. They will be learning along with you and I will be instructing both sides."

"Meeede…" Sheppard projected his frustration by appearing to talk through his teeth and drawing out the brother's name. "What exactly is a Facilitator?"

"Just as you are the Protectors of Mina, they are your protectors." He made a wide sweeping gesture with his arm. "They activate and direct the vessels that contain you."

"Could you explain this a little more?" Teyla asked.

"Ganede, Trece and Marcin will verbally direct you to where you are supposed to fight. The vessels have a limited range of about 100 paces in direct sight. Less if your projection encounters an obstacle. Such as, you cannot go into the next room because the wall blocks the cube unless your vessel is in direct sight of the open doorways. If we were in a large field, you have up to 100 paces before your projection would cease." Mede directed their attention to the cubes. "The buttons control the power level, the on and off, recall and an override. A gauge next to the controls shows the level of recharge. At maximum power output the cubes let you interact with the physical world as you have already experienced."

Sheppard rubbed the back of his neck and acknowledged Mede. The looks of concern did not escape the young cleric.

"Can they control our actions?" Dex asked as he pointed to the three young women.

Mede pursed his lips and refused to meet their transparent eyes. "Yes." He said it with a small, apologetic voice. "The over ride mechanism, but that is only used in times of great need."

"And times of great need would include cullings , right?" Sheppard held no humor in his eyes as he asked the question.

"Sometimes the Facilitator must direct the Protector to abandon their need for self-preservation. You have…" Mede looked nervously around before finally meeting Sheppard's face. "…to use every bit of power and deplete the vessel. Once the vessel is depleted, the Protector is lost."

"That is why you only accept volunteers. They are knowingly sacrificing themselves so others may live." Teyla held no recriminations in her voice. She may have held a little respect in it. "That is why the Protector confirmed we were warriors or soldiers. We are trained to make this sacrifice." Teyla looked at Sheppard. "That is why Dr. McKay was not accepted and does not share in this fate."

A glimmer of hope skittered like small bugs through him. Rodney was out there, Atlantis might come looking. Whatever they found, they would not leave a mystery unsolved. They would not leave anyone behind. Of course if their bodies were dead, then they might not come. The little bugs met the can of Raid. Hope skittered right back out of him.

"We will begin training with your Facilitators tomorrow. Now Ganede, Trece and Marcin, we will see you tomorrow afternoon after the midday meal." He showed the women out.

"Col. Sheppard, do you think At…our people will come looking for us?" Teyla asked with a small amount of hope showing in her face.

It rekindled his. "I don't know. But there is always a chance. We don't know what they found."

Mede returned to the anti-chamber and overheard part of the conversation.

"Do you really think your people would come looking for you? I am being allowed to go into Mina tomorrow. I am in charge of finding field workers for our harvest. Maybe I can locate them."

"Well, I don't know for sure, but you could make some inquiries around town about strangers. They will not let you know they are from our people but they might be at the hostel in town." Hope was taking a firm root in his unincorporated soul now.

"I may have a way of getting them in if they are here." Mede started walking towards the cubes.

Sheppard perked up even more. "Glad to hear it."

-----------------

_A/N: Well, Wilma is being cruel to us here but she's given us time! Let's give the team some hope and please let me know what ya think._


	10. Slipping

Chapter 10 

Slipping

_Rodney was surrounded by his team, just him and the beds and the lumps of lifeless flesh._

_"Eeny, meeny, miney, moe. Catch a Lantean by the toe, if he hollers, you're doing it right. Eeny, meeny, miney, might." He looked down at his hand. Finally, he could feed properly._

_He approached Teyla and placed his hand over her heart. Nothing happened. He tried again. A shadow fell across her body instead. Rodney looked up at Sheppard._

_"Well, that's different. Guess there is no light left in the house." Sheppard gave a rakish grin as he stood on the other side of Teyla. "But hey Killer have a go at the rest of us."_

_Illumination filled the area. The faces of those dead and gone appeared out of the shadows: Grodin, Gall, Markham and others that had lost their lives on the expedition. Then the Parcinese stepped forward followed by Ryals and Burns._

_"Been there done those Sheppard," McKay retorted completely unimpressed. "Let's try someone new."_

_Rodney spun and planted his hand firmly on Major Lorne's chest. The major's chest crushed under the weight of his hand. He felt the heartbeat quicken then systematically slow. The experience was euphoric. The sheer power transferred to him from the life force held within the soldier was addictive. What he would not give for just a taste of Sheppard. The heartbeat ceased and Lorne withered to a dry husk. Rodney felt satiated._

_"Oh Sheppard, he's yummy." McKay crooned. With a flourish, he removed his hand as the desiccated corpse crumbled to dust._

_McKay took a bow directed at the deceased crowd._

_"Bravo Killer!" Sheppard clapped and cheered loudly._

_Outstanding._

---------------

Waking with a start was becoming all too common. The shivering, disgust and anguish that lined up afterwards were constant acquaintances. He was losing. He was enjoying. He was withering. He was alone.

Four days alone. He would ask Beckett to visit with them. He would meet with Heightmeyer and be a good boy. He had to see them; he was strong enough now. He was coherent enough now. He missed them.

Being alone had never been a problem before. He had purposely been alone, self imposed isolation. It was easier that way. It was less complicated to remain detached and unattached. It worked before Atlantis. It was the way of a scientist.

And it was for this very reason he kept himself isolated, the pain of loss. He depended on them as they depended on him. He hated them for it. Even the worshipper of Cromm liked to fuck with him. He wanted the chance to antagonize the new guy back.

He rolled himself over and faced the screened off area. The silence was sharp. He wished they were on life support. It had a rhythm, a proof of life such as it was. And as it was now, they were static.

He expected them to be there always. Not rational, not even likely given their overall situation. He felt it none the less. And they were there, except they weren't which hurt even more.

A voice interrupted his misery.

"Rodney?"

He slowly rolled onto his back. "Radek."

An unsure and apologetic smile crossed Zelenka's face. "Is good to see you awake."

Maybe he was not as alone as he thought. He saw movement as Kusinagi peered around Zelenka. She gave a shy smile and waved. Rodney nodded back at her. That took a lot on both their parts.

"Have you had breakfast yet?" Zelenka looked expectantly at him. "If you haven't, we would like to eat with you."

McKay swallowed. He had not been expecting this. He needed to rebuild his wall. He could not let anyone else behind it.

"Let's see if I can pencil you in, seems my team is preoccupied right now." McKay called on every acerbic bone in his body. He sat a little straighter in the bed.

Zelenka squinted at him. "Aah, is sarcasm you're channeling. How original for you." Zelenka stepped up to the bed and pointed a finger at Rodney.

"Eat with us oh god amongst insects or don't. Either way I'm hungry and will eat here or in cafeteria. Must get food while you and your oversized teammate are not gorging yourselves. Right now there is enough food for rest of us."

"Gee Radek such a compassionate invitation, how could I not accept? Please go get your trays and join me when the dungeon master brings me my gruel." His wall precariously in place, Rodney smirked. He did not want to feel anymore.

"Excellent!" Radek whirled around and motioned Miko to the door. "We will be back."

Rodney watched them go. His wall faltered as he looked at the partitioned area. He needed to see them. He could wait no longer.

Rodney swung his legs over the side of the bed. A brace of sorts had been placed on his thigh as the little bots worked their magic. His leg informed his brain of the stupidity of walking. He ignored them both and kept going. He needed to see them.

No one came to stop him. Where was the medical staff anyway? Not important really. He stood at the screens and pushed through.

They looked pretty much like they had in his dream except with more color. Carson's team had their broken limbs immobilized. It was about all they could do. McKay was shaking from exertion and anger. He was useless. He could not help them. This was medical with a little scientific thrown in. The situation also held one more component he was not even remotely able to comprehend or accept. It was metaphysical. He was- dare he even say it- out of his league with that.

A commotion reached his ears. The medical staff was here and they noticed he was missing. He felt perversely content with the chaos he created. Control was slipping away as he stood before his team completely impotent.

Then self-preservation reared its head. "Glad it's you and not me." It left his mouth so quietly he almost missed it. Detach and remain unattached.

"Rodney?" A whispered question from behind him.

"They look like children. Well Conan and Sheppard have too much facial hair and testosterone. And Teyla…she looks nothing like a child really. Maybe my comparison is all wrong."

Radek stepped into the area and saw the team for the first time himself. They were eerily silent with eyes wide open. "They look innocent."

"That's it," agreed Rodney. "Ripe for the picking, except there is no light left in the house."

Radek turned to a nurse and mouthed for her to get Dr. Beckett and Dr. Heightmeyer.

"They are static Radek. I wish I could say the same. I'm slipping away without them." Rodney felt nervous, angry and then satisfied. Satisfied at what he did not know. Detach and remain unattached.

"Dr. Heightmeyer is on the way Rodney." Carson intruded.

"Hey Carson, come on in and join the party."

"Rodney you need to get off that leg." Carson grabbed his arm.

Rodney jerked his arm away. His jaw clenched so hard his teeth hurt."My dreams are escalating. I'm enjoying them while I'm having them. Before it was my fear of _him_ and what _he_ could do. Now it's _me_ and what _I_ could do. I do not know if I can keep them confined to my subconscious. He is gone but he left a shit sundae behind." A glint entered Rodney's eye and at the same time sorrow filled his face. "I'm just afraid of what the cherry is."

He heard another pair of shoes on the infirmary floor. With a slow and gimpy turn, he faced Heightmeyer.

"I conjure the dead and feast on the living." His eyes focused elsewhere. "We all fall down."

And he did.

----------------

Mede made his way with a few other brothers through the streets of Mina. This was a reward for all his hard work with the Protectors and Facilitators. He had been secluded for so long the throng of people was a little unsettling at first.

Since the abbey was outside the city walls, the influx of refugees from other planets surprised him. His secondary task may not be as easy as he had hoped. His primary and official task would hopefully help him though.

The abbey's usual inquiries would have been at the labor office and just pulling people off the streets. With so many visitors the hostel would be a good place as well.

These visitors made it painfully obvious that his planet would be culled sooner than later. One did not need to be a mathematician or astronomer to figure this out. The Protectors readiness was more important and urgent than ever. However, if the leaders were willing to get volunteers by any means possible, they were morally in trouble. He was very disillusioned with his order and the High Abbot.

He did not ask how Col. Sheppard's team had been sacrificed but he knew from different snippets of conversation, it had not been pleasant. This saddened him and left a fire of righteous anger smolder within his heart. Whether they believed him or not, he would help them. The violation put upon them was a sacrilege.

Mede made inquiries. While the High Abbot did not know of the violation before it happened, he had not spoken out about it either. A few more inquiries, discreet of course, led him to the abbot that had actually performed the Sacrifice. When he returned to the abbey he would converse with the man. He was also the most knowledgeable about the vessels and the procedure. If there was a way to reverse or help in any way, he should know.

Mede bid farewell to his fellow brothers and made his way to the hostel. He stood in front of the public house. This was the right thing to do- now or never. He entered and approached the inn keeper.

"Hello Saum, any refugees have papers to work the fields?"

-----------------


	11. Secrets

_A/N: Bye Wilma! Well after a few technical difficulties here's the next installment._

Chapter 11

Secrets

Brother Mede knocked on the door again. Murmurs and scrapes on the floor were heard through the thick wood. A very tall, blond man finally opened it.

Mede put his friendliest face forward and said, "Greetings, I am Brother Mede. Am I to understand you have papers to work the fields?"

The man appeared to be sizing him up and carefully weighing his answer. "Yes. We are experienced farmers."

"Excellent." Mede smiled warmly and he plunged in with the next question. "Am I to understand you are looking for refugees from your world?"

Once again, the man returned a carefully formed answer. "Yes…we are."

"May I ask the name of your world?" Mede waited and hoped that one of the worlds he now had memorized would be Col. Sheppard's. This was not the first door he had knocked on today.

"Kentucky."

"In my travels around the city today, I will keep an ear open. I have many people to see and am here but to serve."

The man returned a guarded smile.

"How many people do you have in your party?"

"Eight."

Mede nodded excitedly. "We will need everyone since there is so much to harvest. Meet at the western gate at dawn. Representatives of the abbey will escort you and others to the fields. Maybe some of your fellow citizens will be there." Brother Mede bowed to the man. "Oh, what is you name?"

"Halling."

"Tomorrow Halling."

"Tomorrow."

Mede left the common house with enough workers for the harvest. He congratulated himself on a successful completion of two tasks. Well, one he did not know if he was successful yet, but the chances were good. He was now going to meet up with his fellow brothers and enjoy the midday meal before returning to his responsibilities. Training could wait for a little while.

He entered a fairly large and popular tavern. He scanned the room and located his companions. They waved him over and pulled out a chair.

"Finished?" One young brother asked.

"Yes, with all the influx of visitors, it was quite easy." Mede accepted a drink from the barmaid.

The tone turned a little somber as they mulled over why there were so many visitors.

"A culling cannot be too far away. The Wraith seem to have gone mad. They are razing everything and leaving no one," said one of the brothers.

"From those I have talked to, they only escaped because they were off world or hidden where the Wraith just could not find them," added another occupant of the table.

"Will the Protectors be ready? Can they fend off the Wraith so at least a few will survive?"

"I am working very hard with all of them. They will be ready." Mede did not dare speak of his knowledge of the three he was trying to help.

And it appeared fate did not want him to forget them. At a corner booth Chancellor Refra entertained a few of his council members. Most of the men and women had been in office for many years, but he did not recognize one face.

"Who is that sitting next to Refra?"

"Oh that is a new special assistant to Chancellor Refra. Her home world was also recently culled." The brother gestured them to lean into the table. "I hear they share a little more than just advice." He grinned mischievously.

Mede looked at her. Something about her just did not sit well with him. "What is her name?"

"Arna Gezble."

---------------

"No beer and no T.V. make John something something."

"Go crazy?"

"Don't mind if I do."

He gave an inebriated giggle to himself, because the joke was, he was the only one there.

They say talking to yourself is normal, but answering yourself is a sign of being crazy. He giggled again.

"_Craaazy_," he sang to himself, since he was the only one there- all alone.

Being a loner had its advantages but even a loner does not mind a little company every once in a while. In the little Rubik's Cube of doom, time had no meaning. He had faced down many an enemy. However, asking Mede how long they had been here was more terrifying than being pummeled in the forest. The confinement was getting to him. Isolation. Abandonment. And yes, loneliness.

"I need to get out. I need to get out. I need…"

Instantaneously, he was standing in an unfamiliar room. "…to get out."

Delirious joy engulfed him. The cubes must be Ancient after all. He repositioned himself to get a better look. This room looked Ancient. Non-Ancient portraits of different men and women adorned three of the walls. An ornate rack containing all the cubes took up the entire last wall. This must be the Vestibule.

One of his girlfriends dragged him to Mass once- spaghetti night. Free food always attracted the college age crowd. The prayer candles located in the narthex of the church caught his eye. They were electric. Instead of lighting a candle, the devoted pressed a button on top of the votive shaped, fake candle. It was ridiculous but practical- fire codes or something. The configuration of the cubes reminded him of that. The spaghetti had not been bad either.

Visually inspecting the cubes, he noticed one had a golden glow along with the red swirl. That one must be his. He reached for the cube next to his. A spike of energy raced up his arm and made it nearly disappear. It did not hurt; it just felt weird.

"Note to self, no touchee."

His attention was immediately turned to the door of the Vestibule. Voices and footsteps echoed from the outer room.

'OK let's not panic,' he thought. This was kind of like the little kid being caught out of bed by the strict babysitter. "Return," he quickly directed.

He giggled again like a little kid as he returned to his red sea of absence.

"I've--got--a--see--cret. I've--got--a--see--cret." He imagined a shit-eating grin spreading across his make-believe face.

In his timeless Rubik's Cube, giddiness and a dark humor possessed him. This gave him a mission and a possible means of escape. More importantly, it returned control back to him. Excellent.

The familiar disorienting pull landed him in the anti-chamber again along with Ronon and Teyla.

"I have enlisted many peoples from different worlds to work the fields," began Mede without any preamble. He started naming the world's and the peoples. "Meridia, Hoff, Manarians, Kentucky, the Gen…"

Sheppard guffawed, "Did you say Kentucky?"

"This is your home world?" Mede looked inquiringly at him.

"Not exactly. Just part of it. Did you get any names?" His giddiness was being overpowered by euphoria. He fought to keep himself in check.

"Just one, Halling."

A broad, happy smile spread across Teyla's face. "Faith Colonel. We must keep faith."

"What's next Mede?" Ronon asked swaying back and forth like an elephant in a small pen. He did not seem to share in the joy.

"Practice with your Facilitators. Today you learn to fly."

Eyebrows went up across each ghostly face.

----------------

_A/N: Came through just fine here. Just a few tornados and a some really heavy rain-nothing out of the ordinary. To you all who are still reading thanks for the patience. Oh yeah, Arna Gezble is from There Came a Big Spider._


	12. Thickened

Chapter 12 

Thickened

When Brother Mede walked into the bright sunshine, he shielded his eyes and surveyed the Facilitators waiting for him. They stood in a courtyard of the monastery with each Facilitator holding their counterpart's vessel. All of the Facilitators and Protectors were practicing today.

As everyone was let out of their little cubes, Teyla, Ronon and Sheppard were startled to see the spectral faces of their attackers in line with them.

Mede recognized the problem immediately. He quickly walked up to the trio and whispered hoping to keep them calm.

"They are the Protectors that were used right? It was not their fault. Their Facilitators were not there; Refra's men borrowed them."

A murmur went through the line as Mede continued to talk with the three. He stepped back to address the group.

"They are new and needed a little explanation. I apologize for the delay. Today you let loose your earthly bonds and ascend into the heavens." He smiled benevolently. "Let's get started and for those who know how to do this please help the others."

The lesson progressed and the newest recruits picked up the concept of floating above the ground quite easily, even Dex. Col. Sheppard seemed to have a special affinity for it. The man may have even smiled as he projected himself above the others. It was a nice quiet exercise.

That had been earlier and more training was definitely needed. His duty clear to both his order and to the three he was helping. He walked down the hall of the abbey on his way to the second highest abbot in his order, the Venerable.

After the session, Ganede, Marcin and Trece alerted him to a disturbing piece of information. Their vessels were draining power at a quicker pace than the others. They had to be immediately returned to the Vestibule and recharged. He hoped the Venerable could shed some light on the situation.

Something tickled him in the back of his mind. The three did not willingly participate in the ceremony. The texts were very specific about that fact. All the other Protectors were old soldiers who saw this as an opportunity to provide one last service to Mina. They were at the end of their lives and this was a great and final honor. These three were not. He even noticed a slight change in each of the them. Sheppard appeared to be trying to maintain a controlled demeanor. Ronon was becoming more and more brooding. Even Teyla had a skittish quality. Their behavior was changing.

More questions to ask the great man.

He knocked on the door to the abbot's chambers.

"Enter!" A robust voice beckoned from the other side of the closed door.

Mede entered timidly. "Venerable? I need to talk with you."

"I've been expecting you Brother Mede." The older abbot motioned him to a comfortable chair. He was thin and dressed in dark blue everyday robes similar in style to a Franciscan monk. He had graying hair and peppered bushy eyebrows. "I have a confession to make to you." The man's eyes held a sadness that Mede found disturbing for such a pious member of the order.

"I have committed an egregious wrong against innocents. I have broken my vows and allowed a crime to stain our sacred duties."

"Venerable, please tell me what happened." Mede put his most compassionate face on.

"Refra and the witch that has his ear convinced me to procure four more Protectors by less than honorable means."

"This I have already figured out. Please Venerable, what happened to the fourth?"

"He was a scientist not a warrior, so he was rejected."

"Do you know what became of him and the bodies of the other three?" Mede was trying to remain calm.

"Their people retrieved them and I hope they did not dispose of the bodies. The leader of their group may have saved them from remaining Protectors forever." The Venerable leaned forward towards the younger man.

Mede's interest peaked. "How?"

The abbot's intensity increased as he stared at the brother. "He declined." The intensity left and a far away look took its place. "You remember your textual readings? The Sacrificed must give of themselves freely."

"Yes sir and that has been bothering me. Their vessels are not even acting right."

The Venerable leaned back in his chair once again. "My theory may be correct then. But first Brother Mede, let me confess to you the depths of my corruption."

"Sir, nothing you say will leave this room if you ask." Brother Mede gave the man his undivided attention.

"You may change your mind once I am through. Listen to my confession and then make up your mind. Refra came to me. His new right arm informed him of warriors that could fight the Wraith. He said they would make excellent Protectors. Of course I was intrigued, but hesitant. I asked him if they were volunteers. He just smiled at me and said yes."

The oil lamps flickered in the frugal room. The shadows cast across the walls added to the darkness within his tale.

"The first trial apparently was two fold. To make sure they could withstand the ceremony and to scare them from the walls of Mina. With my help, he borrowed the six Protectors and had his own personal guard facilitate their actions. Two of the Protectors and two of his men bonded briefly to confirm the life force present in each of the candidates. They were able to assess only two of them. They missed the two other members. No matter, they wanted them to escape so they figured they could assess the other two in the forest. Special assistant Gezble set the ambush in the clearing so as not to have their reaction to the procedure heard by the town. By the time I arrived, I knew they were not willing participants. I saw what she had done to their leader. Sad what one ignores when presented such a test to faith."

"Col. Sheppard," interrupted Mede, "His name is Col. John Sheppard."

The Venerable moved his head in acknowledgment. "When I saw the state of Col. Sheppard, I knew there was more to this than obtaining more Protectors. She knew them and instructed the guard to use the override. The Protector was released from self-preservation and morality and nearly killed him." He sunk into his chair.

"You see oh my dear brother, she is evil personified and her evil infected me. I let it. We need the Protectors and I forgot myself. My senses came too late. I understood the depths I had sunk when he declined. I had to continue because I was sure that Refra's men would do the ceremony anyway. I certainly knew that Gezble would try."

The Venerable stood up and walked over to a table. He poured himself a drink of mead.

"She intruded upon the ceremony. She watched as they were assaulted. She even enjoyed the viciousness."

Brother Mede just nodded and kept his eyes trained on the other man as he returned to his chair.

"You have seen what happens when the Sacrifice is not completed correctly?"

"Yes. The poor woman was driven insane and had to be euthanized." Mede remembered it clearly. It was a horrible sight.

"She changed her mind and the Venerable before me withdrew the Caen too quickly. I could not let that happen. And as I have already established, Col. Sheppard declined. The original Venerable proclaimed that only those willing would be allowed. He gave us the Caen and the Aeble. As you know, the Caen takes the life and soul of the Sacrificed. We always believed the Aeble to be broken; the texts about it lost for all time. I have found these texts hidden on unused shelves. It was used once and I believe the Caen's twin scepter can return life my dear brother. I believe it can return them to their bodies."

"This is wonderful! You possess the Caen. Who has the Aeble?" Mede asked leaning in towards the Venerable.

"That is where our problem lays my dear brother. It is the seven pronged scepter of Mina. Refra has it."

--------------

"What we have so far on their conditions is…" started Beckett, "That their bodies are maintaining their own. No added measures have been put in place or are even needed. Their blood work is bizarre to say the least." He paused looking around the table. He was the only one of Weir's senior command staff sitting at the table. It was lonely.

"An unknown chemical compound has coagulated the blood making it the consistency of frozen syrup. This same compound has petrified their organs and skeletal structure. We can neither fix any injuries nor take samples except for blood. However, their epidermis and musculature are a different matter. They are pliable but still showing neither decay nor any healing properties what so ever. The compound is in there as well." Beckett looked down at his hands.

"It is similar to stasis but with stasis there is still aging. It is like they are frozen at a moment in time." Beckett was not sure if this was better or worse than actual death. "It is as if their bodies are waiting for something. Rodney mentioned to Zelenka no light in the house. I think we are in a realm of metaphysical philosophy along with actual medical or scientific solutions."

"How is Rodney?" asked Weir acknowledging Carson's explanation with a nod.

Beckett looked to Dr. Heightmeyer to answer.

"We sedated him and have him restrained for right now. He was delirious and argumentative. When he regains consciousness we will re-evaluate. He simply overloaded at seeing the team." She looked around the table. "He has suffered a backslide. It might take awhile to dig out and rejoin the rest of us."

"Should we send him back to Earth?" Weir was praying that this was only temporary. That he would heal once the team was either cured- if that was even possible- or released from this state of petrifaction.

"No not yet. I think he will come around once the rest of the team's situation is settled. The attack itself revisited all his self doubts about his ability to help. It exposed his desire to fight back or hurt another being. The situation they were placed in was a catalyst for the reoccurrence of the nightmares and they have been constant since his return from the planet."

"Is he a danger to himself or anyone else?" Weir was already worried that not only had she lost her second in command, but her third most important advisor was going down as well.

"I don't know. I will have to do a reeval and let you know."

"Please tell me that we have heard from the team." Carson added.

"We had a check in early this morning. They have jobs as field hands. They also have heard of a group of people called Protectors. Apparently they defend the planet against the Wraith. What caught their attention was the use of the term warrior. These Protectors are sequestered at a monastery outside of town and that is exactly where our team will be working." To Weir the news was encouraging. "They have requested the Daedalus. The Stargate is heavily guarded so leaving the planet will be hampered. The team believes that they were the reason for the added soldiers. The locals were looking for us to return. That also seems to be a positive."

Caldwell sat at the table keeping his face carefully neutral. The Daedalus had been back only a couple of hours when the message from the team had come in.

"The Daedalus will be ready to go in under an hour. The trip should take about 18 hours."

"Thank you Colonel." Weir looked around the table one last time. "Keep me updated and we will make adjustments as the situation warrants."

Weir let her gaze linger on Caldwell for a moment longer. His eagerness to assume command of Atlantis irked her. She needed pliable and adaptable people. People, who could see both sides of the issues, be it military or civilian. Sheppard had that ability. It got them into trouble sometimes and other times it opened up the problem solving.

She wanted to bitch slap the Colonel when he immediately ordered lethal force against John during his transformation. She negated those orders and the men listened. Now whether it was out of respect for Sheppard or her, it really did not matter. Thank goodness Ronon brought him down saving the teams from making that decision.

Then his less than tactful intimation of her's and Sheppard's relationship. If he took permanent command of Atlantis, she was not going to make it easy on him. That would be her mission.

She needed her two people back now.

---------------

_A/N: Thanks to all those still reading. We are getting everyone in to place and will get to the action soon. Stay with me now._


	13. Hiding

Chapter 13 

Hiding

They thought he was asleep. He could hear them talking about him.

_"…long term psychiatric care…"_

_"…tell him about his team…"_

_"…alert soon…"_

Amusing. Now he was the child. What's best for wittle Wodney? What do we tell him? Can he handle it?

"You might as well come over here. I can hear you." He snickered to himself and mocked them as they drew closer. "I'm feeling much better thank you," he said it with so much acid he could have melted the bed rails.

Weir sighed as she walked into view. "Sorry Rodney. How are you feeling? You lost the plot of the story for a while there."

"I thought I could handle a visit with the corpse brigade over there. Guess not." Beckett and Heightmeyer for all their hocus pocus were right. He should have waited.

He tried to sit up in the bed. The restraints held him in place.

"Um Carson?" McKay's eyes darted around the room.

"As Dr. Weir stated Rodney, you were not in full control of your faculties. You've been restless and combative," said Carson in his most compassionate and understanding tone. "For part of the last day, you've held conversations with imaginary people, cursed imaginary enemies, and have just been delirious."

So this was the first time he had been lucid in a few hours. Now he knew what he needed to do. He would just not care anymore. Caring was too hard. Detach and remain unattached. He could do it. He had done it in the past.

"Rodney, Major Lorne has informed us of a lead in helping your team," Weir informed him.

Damn it. They were not going along with his plan of action. He looked between Beckett, Weir, and the background hovering form of Heightmeyer.

"I see you over there Kate." He smirked. "They're gone anyway. No light left in the house."

"What exactly do you mean, Rodney? You said that before." Heightmeyer stepped to the forefront.

"That's for me to know and you to find out."

He would show them that he really did not care. The cost was too high. And maybe if he repeated it to himself enough it might even be true.

"No Rodney. It is for you to tell me. We can play twenty questions but that is a child's game. Not one for the likes of you." Kate lightly admonished him.

"Oooh now Kate, not playing fair. They're not in there. Whatever makes us, us is gone. The lumps of flesh and bone are empty shells. No existence, no death, just nothing."

"How do you know?" Heightmeyer asked narrowing her eyes. "What makes you so sure?"

He went blank. A dream? A half forgotten memory? A hunch? He did not know or he did not want to remember. He did not care.

He opened his mouth once, twice, then three times. Nothing came out. He tried again.

"What?" Remain detached he reminded himself.

"Rodney, you are not the cause of their condition. I know you already know this. But you are trying to hide from yourself."

He tunnel visioned on Heightmeyer.

"Mur--der--er. I wish I could hide from that. I am also a destroyer of planets and solar systems. What other proof do you need?"

"Rodney, you are not the monster. You're certainly not the villain in this tale. You need to embrace all aspects of yourself- the good, the bad and the ugly." There was no soft understated tone just bluntness. "They need you as much as you need them. Do not hide from the pain."

Weir and Beckett melted into the background as the two talked. They stayed close just in case they were needed.

Rodney's face was now contorted in anger.

"Shut up and get out. I don't need them and they certainly don't need me anymore."

"You are going to have to face them again."

"Get out."

"No." Heightmeyer pulled a chair over to the bed and sat down.

His eyes held hatred and he screamed and he strained and he let everything rage out of him until all he could do was cry.

"Now we're getting somewhere," said Heightmeyer softly.

---------------

Lorne, Halling and everyone on the team waited at the western gate of Mina. Their only contact with Atlantis was probably their last contact until the Daedalus arrived. Lorne was hopeful that the Stargate activation with no one coming through had not aroused suspicion. Odds were, they would not be so lucky. Nothing they could do about it anyway.

After sitting in a little pub the previous afternoon, he and Feris overheard a conversation within a group of locals. They were discussing the imminent culling and the fact that so many were coming to Mina because of that fact. Then their conversation turned to the defenses of Mina and to something or someone called the Protectors.

What got Lorne's attention was the way they lamented the fact the Protectors only accepted warriors. The group could not join because they were not soldiers or they would have volunteered. They went on to say that the abbots at the monastery had better be ready especially with the new recruits.

Rodney kept mentioning the warrior aspect. Lorne just wished he understood what had happened and what those warriors needed with other soldiers/warriors.

On one hand, he knew that these Protectors might know something about curing Sheppard and his team. At the very least, the abbots would. On the other hand, these Protectors and abbots most likely had done this to the team and might not be very forthcoming. He would handle that as well when the time came.

Now here they were waiting to go the abbey and pick produce. Lucky, lucky. He would not leave there without answers.

He looked back towards the village. This society had made some technological advances. The fact they remained in one place and were not nomadic probably helped. These Protectors afforded them the chance of maintaining a civilization but did not deter the Wraith enough that they were completely safe. These people were better off than most so he really wanted to meet these Protectors.

Lorne turned back around as two priests greeted the fifty some odd people gathered at the gate. The two men led the workers down a path towards some hills. As they drew closer, the monastery rose into sight. It was carved into the hill itself.

They followed the stone walls to large open fields of a purplish squash. There were acres of the stuff- no wonder they needed help. It was the only non-forested land in the area. Something to keep in mind if needing a Puddle Jumper.

"I should warn you Halling, agriculture is not my strong suit. More concrete and manicured yards in suburbia than fields of squash," whispered Lorne.

"Just do what I do," offered Halling slightly amused.

The other Atlantis team members raised eyebrows at their Athosian counterparts. They received nods and quiet laughter back.

One of the clerics stopped and waited until all were in earshot before addressing them.

"You will be paid at the end of the work day. A midday meal will be provided. And on behalf of the High Abbot, we thank you!"

He then started directing workers to where they were needed in the fields.

Lorne cast a furtive glance at the high walls of the monastery. He was pretty much thinking there had to be a way of getting into that abbey for the answers or this was a back breaking and disappointing waste of time.

---------------

_A/N: Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. I'm blushing. On to the next chapter!_


	14. Howdy

Chapter 14 

Howdy

Brother Mede hoped the simple plan would work. He anticipated his excuse of building morale would also fly. So far it had. For the first time, workers would be allowed within the abbey's walls. Tables had been set up in the courtyard. While the field hands enjoyed their meal, the Protectors would train in the segregated smaller courtyard. If Col. Sheppard's people were there, it would be the best chance for them to be seen.

He entered the anti-chamber wringing his hands and met with the Facilitators.

"I'm a little nervous; we will have an audience today. After my journey into Mina yesterday and with all the news of cullings, I believe we can send a message of preparedness and comfort. The Venerable and the High Abbot agree with me." He grinned excitedly and finished, "Let's go fulfill our duty."

-------------

She stood on the balcony to the High Abbot's apartments careful to keep out of sight. Curiosity got the better of her. She convinced Refra to bring her today. She just had to see that self-righteous, egotistical man reduced to a mere shadow of his former self.

To bad Beckett was not here but he received the gifts of their dead bodies. That counted for something.

She- Arna Gezble, former First Mender- had been summarily dismissed by the new government because of the loss of diplomatic ties with the Atlanteans. Proconsul Amon had been only asked to retire. She was dumped like so much putrid refuse and kicked off her home world.

She heard they wanted to reestablish contact with the Atlanteans. They were culled before they had the chance. That was just too bad.

She watched the Facilitators turn their cubes on. He blinked into a misty existence along with the others. A self-satisfied smile crossed her lips. Beautiful.

Refra appeared at her side.

"Did I lie? They are warriors of great skill, are they not?" She produced her feline smile looking at her trapped mouse down in the courtyard. She was very proud of herself.

"You were right. The abbots were initially upset that they had not volunteered but what are they going to do now?" Refra brushed lint off his coat. "So Brother Mede will work with what they've got. They have been training, all be it reluctantly at first."

Refra fixed a conniving gaze at Arna. "You know them better than you let on originally."

"We crossed paths before. I really want to chat with the one called Sheppard. Alone if possible." She purred the request to keep her other mouse trapped.

"You have a grudge." Refra quirked his lip up. "You wanted a little vengeance; am I right?"

"You caught me Refra. Let's say he and his people took away my life and my honor amongst my people. I owed them one. Although, I left their honor intact."

"Thanks to you Arna, they will provide a great service to Mina. They will protect us against the Wraith." He put an arm around her shoulder. "You really think their people will come looking?"

"It's a possibility. Just keep them out of sight and mouths shut."

"Actually, the abbots are using them as a morale booster and I happen to agree with them. Look now." Refra pointed to the crowd of workers filing into the courtyard.

Her head turned quickly towards him and she shot him a condemning glare. "You idiot," she spat. "Stop it now."

"Arna, their bodies were dead. No one will come."

"There is a puzzle to be solved. Their people are quite adept at solving puzzles, you fool."

Refra was taken aback as if seeing the person next to him for the first time.

"Have there been any strange or unexplained Ring activations?" She asked sliding from under his arm and facing him.

"Only one, late yesterday afternoon. It only lasted a few counts and no one came through."

"They are already here. They have communication devices and were reporting back to their people." She looked down at the field workers. A murmur was rippling through the crowd as they noticed the Protectors.

"Get your guards to search that rabble immediately. There is a conspiracy against you and these priests are in on it!" She gripped the balcony not caring who saw her now.

----------------

As the blended team gathered at a table to eat their meal, a murmur arose in the ranks.

"The Protectors!"

It was a reverent exclamation from the group of workers. Lorne followed the excited faces to a fenced off area of the courtyard. On the other side of the wrought iron was a group of…

"Ghosts? What are they?" He thought out loud. Then he recognized three of them. "Holy shit!"

At his subdued exclamation, the others looked up.

"Col…?" Jones started recognizing his C.O. immediately.

"Keep it shut. Don't say another word," Lorne ordered.

What the hell was this? What had these people done to them? How in the hell do you fix this?

Lorne looked at Halling and asked, "Can you get a closer look?"

"I will try," replied a stunned Halling. He motioned to Janna to follow him and the crowd.

Everyone in the courtyard was pushing their way to the fence to get a better look. The excitement was tangible. It pulsed through each individual until faces and bodies were squeezed up against the iron.

The Protectors and Facilitators continued with their lessons seemingly oblivious to their audience.

Suddenly, a firearm report went off startling the crowd. People backed away from the guard with the weapon only to be stopped by another then another. Confusion and panic gained a foothold in the crowd. Shoving and pushing began as people tried to get away.

The guards were trying to steer the workers back to the tables.

The training stopped immediately. Lorne stood on the table and kept an eye on his transformed C.O. Instead of Sheppard looking at the commotion in front of him, his attention was at something up and behind Lorne's position.

"Williams discreetly see what he's looking at," Lorne whispered getting down off the table.

Williams directed his attention to the balcony.

"Fuck me."

He knew that face.

He had held a gun on that woman while performing another rescue.

Now she was smugly waving to the Colonel and blew him a kiss.

Williams looked back at the Colonel who gave her a hard, defiant stare in return.

Then without so much as a hardy high-ho Silver, Sheppard disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

----------------

_A/N: Okey Dokey now, I believe Sheppard might be a little peeved. Stay tuned and please feel free to review._


	15. Payment

Chapter 15 

Payment

It was at the sound of the gunshot when he saw her. It all made a little more twisted sense now. Of course, the first name that came to mind to call her did not start with a B.

He let his anger get the best of him and acted impulsively. Sheppard concluded that being dead pretty much was a good enough excuse for his behavior. Plus, he really needed to have a little talk with the woman.

So there he was floating above the field hands and the ever increasing number of guards snarling to himself for being so impetuous and foolish. Well since he was here, might as well say something. He kept his face carefully neutral (ala Caldwell) and greeted her.

"First Mender, it's really lovely to see you again. How's Perit?"

"Dead." She shrank away from him.

"Sorry to hear that, such a nice guy. Know how he feels." He noticed her recoil. "Oh don't worry First Mender, I can't come any closer. We have limits." He floated about ten feet away. "Lucky for you." He gave her a menacing smile. The giddiness was oozing into to his disembodied self.

"Protector, what is the meaning of…" Started Refra full of bluster.

"Like you don't know. So shut up and stay out of this. You might want to call off your goon squad while you're at it." Sheppard lowered his head and looked at them through his eyelids. "You're making me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry."

This time Refra recoiled.

Another man joined the pair on the balcony. A gasp from the crowd made Sheppard laugh to himself. This guy must be important. Instead of stepping to the forefront, he stood back and watched.

So Sheppard continued his conversation. "Refra, would you like for the audience to hear how I and my friends came to be here? Then I strongly suggest you tell those guards to lower their weapons and let those people eat and watch the show." The darkness and mania were ripening within him.

The other man stepped forward.

Refra, it is time you were leaving and please don't forget anyone."

"High Ab…"

"Now Refra."

Refra closed his mouth and glared at Sheppard. He grabbed Arna's arm and started to pull her to the balcony's exit.

"Come my dear."

------------------

While John had been having his non-heart to black heart talk, Ganede noticed a difference in his cube. The swirl had gone from the solid red to a red-golden mix. She also realized that she had no control of the vessel when he did not return when she recalled him.

"Alright no need to panic. I can do this."

She looked around to see if anyone was paying her any attention. No one was.

She blew out a breath and tried again to recall her wayward Protector. It still did not work.

Something was definitely different and weird about him.

------------------

Her wayward Protector had felt the repeated tugs to pull him back. He ignored them. Ganede could wait until that woman was gone. He watched the pair leave the balcony twisting a smile onto his face.

The High Abbot nodded to him and then to the crowd. He followed Gezble and Refra off his balcony and reentered his apartments. Then and only then did Sheppard do as asked and returned to the others.

He looked at Ganede and forcibly changed his expression. He impishly smiled and shrugged his shoulders. 'No clue what happened,' was written all over his face.

Mede approached from behind him.

"She is your betrayer," he stated.

"Yep, the very reason we are here," said Sheppard pointing to Teyla and Ronon while reigning himself back in even farther. "Our people are here. Couldn't miss Halling in a crowd." He winked at Teyla.

Teyla broke into a small smile.

"Is there anyway to keep them here at the abbey?" Sheppard asked. "Refra and Gezble are looking for them."

Sheppard's image blinked.

"Colonel," said Teyla with her usual concern.

Ronon even drew in closer to his team leader.

Ganede walked up with his cube. "Your power level is dropping. Brother Mede, I need to return him to the Vestibule."

"I will make arrangements. I also have other news that can wait till later," answered Mede and then nodded to Ganede.

She returned Sheppard to his garish office cubicle of hell and left.

-------------------

As Refra's entourage walked along a breezeway that skirted the courtyard, Arna saw the young Facilitator leave with Sheppard's vessel.

"Refra, before we leave, I need to…well you know." She batted her eyelashes and looked sufficiently embarrassed.

He laughed as he said, "Please Arna, you are not that bashful about anything. They are back down the corridor on the left. Should I send an escort?"

"I think I can manage." She demurely smiled and excused herself.

As she walked the corridor, she was silently fuming. How dare he condescend towards her. He was nothing more than a doomed specter. To top it off, he threatened her. She scolded herself for showing even an ounce of fear towards that mere mist of a man.

She had read everything on the vessels. The controls were an added feature and the cubes could not be controlled without them. She would show him. She would doom him even further.

She passed the lavatory and made her way down the hallway towards the sound of shoes on stone.

She would see his fear and hopelessness before too long.

-----------------

Ganede entered the Vestibule and placed the vessel on its base to recharge. She turned it on and Sheppard appeared before her.

"What happened out there?" She snapped the question out like a firecracker. "I had no control. You were in control, weren't you?"

He gave a weak apologetic smile. "Guess the cat's out of the bag, hunh?"

"What does that mean?" Ganede forced out.

"Secret's out. I can control the cube a certain amount. They and this room are from the Ancestors right?"

"Yes."

"The control mechanism isn't, right?"

"Right. They were additions by one of our predecessors. Our people were more technologically advanced than you see now. A great culling many generations ago nearly wiped us out. The vessels were discovered just prior and remained hidden along with the first Venerable in this very room. They were used forever afterwards to fight the Wraith. We have not had another such culling since then," she said proudly.

"Well, let's just say I have a love/ hate relationship with technology left by the Ancestors. But when the Wraith get here, the Protectors will be put to the test. Is Mina the only town?"

"No but when the time comes, all will seek protection here in caves and catacombs under Mina. Or they will hope for escape through the Ancestral Ring."

"The Wraith aren't leaving survivors. I've been on too many culled planets devoid of human life. The Protectors and Facilitators had better be ready." Sheppard really wanted to punctuate the necessity of defense.

"You are a Protector too. It is your job as well."

"I did not volunteer for this gig. Neither did Teyla or Dex. We were volunteered by Arna Gezble. But seeing as these little bundles of joy were left by the Ancestors I can…"

He did not get to finish talking when a gun shot went off. Blood sprayed through and past him landing on the recharging rack. The bullet followed the blood and impacted the wall behind him. He reflexively flinched even though there was no reason for it.

Ganede looked at him and dropped to her knees. Pained confusion was written all over her face and a blossom of blood appeared on her shirt. Another shot, removed her face entirely. She pitched forward onto the stone floor.

"No light left in the house. Said that about you in the forest." She sneered at him.

"Nooo!" Sheppard screamed and rushed his smoky form at the assailant.

Arna Gezble took her last shot and hit the controls on the cube.

Sheppard's non-corporeal form ceased immediately.

-----------------

_A/N: Just to let you know, I am a big TB Lightning fan. I thought that a Canadian who had been out of the loop would have a great reaction to my guys winning the Cup. I know they are all transplants but you can't have everything! OK that's out of the way, please remember poor Ganede and review._


	16. Plummet

Chapter 16 

Plummet

"Brother Daven!" Mede called. "I need the seven workers with that man there to help with the herb garden." He pointed to Halling. "Please do so quietly so the other workers don't get jealous."

Mede winked at his fellow brother.

The young man snickered his answer, "No problem."

Mede turned to the Facilitators and Protectors. "I believe that we will continue our exercises. Marcin, Trece, how are the power levels?"

"Adequate," replied Marcin.

"Mine as well," replied Trece.

"Excellent."

He turned to look across the courtyard to Refra's group. He frowned narrowing his eyes searching the group. "Where's the woman?" He asked under his breath. "Ganede!"

"Brother what's wrong?" Someone shouted at him.

"Get the High Abbot and meet me at the Vestibule!" Mede shouted back. "Bring whoever you can."

He ran down winding stairs skipping every other one. The stairs emptied into a long hallway that led to the other side of the monastery. He heard a gunshot followed by another. An anguished yell and one more gunshot reverberated against the stonewalls. Then he heard nothing. He stopped in front of the anti-chamber and a projectile hand weapon was aimed at his nose.

"Come in dear boy and close the door." Arna Gezble backed up and allowed him entrance.

He saw Ganede lying in the Vestibule, blood snaking its way along the cracks in the stone away from her. The single cube in there had damage to the control panel. His stomach dropped.

"Oh sister, what have you done? The Protectors are needed. You've just decreased our chances," lamented Mede. "What did Ganede do to deserve death?" They stood in the doorway of the Vestibule.

"Cavorting with the enemy. Good bye brother." She pressed the barrel into his head and gave him a wink.

He closed his eyes and waited.

------------------

Caldwell stood on the bridge watching the light show out the large viewing window.

"Any answer to the hail yet?"

"No sir," reported the lieutenant at the communication console.

"How much time till we arrive?"

"Five hours sir."

He let his mind wander for a minute. Caldwell wondered where he went wrong with Weir. He thought his first impression had been a pretty good one. Saving the life of Major Sheppard and defending Atlantis from the Wraith were pretty good ways to introduce oneself.

Maybe it was the meeting where they informed her someone would be taking over as military head. And of course he had been at the top of the list. She did not take it well needless to say. He probably did not help his cause during Sheppard's illness when his mouth got away from him.

_"You two are close?"_

How could she not take it any other way than innuendo? Not a stellar moment for him.

Since then, they were not quite enemies but not quite amicable acquaintances either.

"Keep trying," ordered Caldwell returning to his seat.

Well, here he was again on his way to pull Sheppard's bacon from the pan. One day he would earn their respect and trust. He really was not here to undermine the expedition but add an extra tier of support.

Even though he had command of Atlantis right now and for the near future, this was not the way he wanted to win it.

---------------

She was mistaken. They did not get anywhere. It did not work the way Dr. Heightmeyer wanted. Rodney did not cooperate. Instead of him coming to his senses, he lost them.

The man, who never shut up, had. He did not talk to her. He did not look at her. He stared at the ceiling and stayed within himself.

So Weir talked to herself.

"We should hear from the planet soon. The Daedalus will be there in another five hours."

He lay there as still as his teammates.

"You can't hide forever. Showing solidarity with them won't help."

A hand was placed on her shoulder.

"He's quit Carson. He's left the rest of us alone." Weir looked up and into his face. "How are the others?"

"No change. I tell you what; they are starting to creep out the staff." Carson almost smiled. "It's their eyes. They keep opening and closing at different intervals."

Weir almost smiled back.

"We don't know if they can be helped. We don't know what to do. We wait, we watch, we pray."

He glared at Rodney. "And this daft bastard goes and disconnects himself from everyone. Ya hear me you selfish bastard! We may need you to help them and you go on holiday with your annoyingly brilliant brain!"

Elizabeth stood up, faced Carson and put a hand on his shoulder. "I'll leave you to berate him in peace." This time she did smile.

He smiled back but not without a melancholy glint in his eye.

"Thank ya Dr. Weir." He took her place in the chair.

"You aggravatin' human being, this isn't…"

------------------

_"…the answer."_

_Rodney looked around the great void of space. He had done it. This could possibly be the cherry._

_"Over here you idiots!" He called out to them._

_The Wraith ships dropped out of hyperspace and continued the last leg of their journey to the small blue marble._

_This was the culmination of his capacity for deceit. This was what he could achieve without the moral compass that was his team. He did not care anymore and when you do not care, this is what happens._

_His conscience poked at him and whispered in his ear. He swatted at it like a noseeum._

_Sheppard stepped up next him._

_"Come on Planet Killer; let's go get front row seats! I brought the snacks!" He produced a box of Sno-Caps._

_Sheppard let himself fall towards Earth. Rodney followed._

_"Which city first?" John asked as they plummeted._

_Rodney just smiled back, "Let's take a bite out of the Big Apple."_

-------------------

_A/N: I must say, thanks for all the support. The reviews have been very helpful and invigorating. Hope I can live up to expectations. Well onward to the next chapter!_


	17. Kisses

Chapter 17 

Kisses

The sight of Mede running towards the abbey made Lorne say screw undercover. Williams informing him that the First Mender was missing from her group made him say double time.

"Halling, you keep an eye on them," Lorne said pointing to Teyla and Ronon. "You have your gun right?"

Halling nodded.

Lorne and the rest of his team took off following the trail of priests and workers running down the corridor. He spotted the third man from the balcony. He turned to his team and pointed to the High Abbot. He pointed to his eyes and back at the abbot. Everyone nodded and followed the man.

Then the sound of gunfire reached his ears. "Damnit!" Nothing good was happening now.

They went down hallway after staircase until a loud crash and thud was heard from somewhere up ahead. Clerics and brothers and abbots blocked his view but a gasp meant, yes indeedy, something bad was happening. He pushed his way through the crowd to the ghastly sight.

-----------------

Nothing happened. No click. No bang. No moment of pain. No oblivion.

Mede cracked an eye open. He then opened his other eye to the unexpected and amazing sight before him.

Col. Sheppard held Arna Gezble by the throat with one hand and by the wrist of her gun arm with the other.

Somehow, he was at full power.

Then he hurled himself and her at the closed hallway door in the anti-chamber. He let go and she continued smashing through the door and into the opposite wall. He remained at the doorway then stepped through into the hall staying in sight of the cube. He squatted down next to her and Mede heard him whispering to her.

"Now who has no light," he sneered at her and blew her a kiss goodbye.

Mede turned around to look at the vessel. It positively glowed with a golden light and only a smidge of red. He had never seen anything like it before. He knew it was damaged and no one controlled it. The cube should not be working.

His eyes fell on the young woman on the floor. Mede scrambled to the Vestibule and checked Ganede. Tears started to burn in his eyes. He would miss his sister. He held her and put his face into her matted hair.

He looked up at Gezble's slumped body leaning against the wall with absolute revulsion. She was also dead. Sheppard had crushed her body into the stone. Whether it was on purpose or by accident Mede really did not care at the moment. She could not hurt anyone else.

Many footsteps and voices echoed off the stone. As they grew closer, he heard the gasps and hushed voices. No more being discreet.

Sheppard returned to the brother.

"I couldn't stop her…" He started to fade. "I'm sorry…"

"Colonel!" The yell came from the hall doorway.

Sheppard gave a tired recognition to the person in the doorway. All his anger ebbing away with his appearance. "This is Mede; he'll explain. Good to see you Major."

He disappeared and the cube turned back to red.

---------------

Major Lorne watched Sheppard fade. He looked through the anti-chamber and into another room. The brother that had originally started the chase sat on the floor cradling the body of Sheppard's young Facilitator. He whispered to what was left of her and sobbed into her hair.

His phantom of a C.O. had said to talk to Mede- Lorne did not think Mede would be able to talk anytime soon.

"Jones get the Athosians and bring Teyla and Ronon down here. We're comin' out of hiding."

Jones put his radio on and tried to contact Halling as he left.

Lorne walked into the small room and stopped in the next doorway. He stared at the cube. Amazing. Sheppard was in there.

He stepped into the Vestibule.

The walls started to glow. The room powered up.

Mede left his grieving for a moment to stare at the major.

"Geez Major, I think you pulled a Sheppard," commented Williams.

Lorne shot the young man a quick shut-up glare. He directed Williams attention to the Mede and Ganede on the floor.

The room continued to come to life despite the death all around. Monitors behind portraits started to flicker with information and a console slid out of the wall.

The assembled abbots and brothers still vied for a view into the rooms. Their mutterings grew louder and more excited at the spectacle.

"Please oh my brothers and sisters, let me through." The High Abbot stopped into the outer room. His gaze went from Arna in the hallway to Ganede and Mede on the Vestibule floor to the powered up room and Lorne.

"We need to talk," said Lorne and the High Abbot to each other.

--------------------

Chancellor Refra had watched the courtyard practically empty out after the muffled gunshots. He nervously kept watch down the breezeway.

"Where are you?"

But he already knew. Her actions on the balcony told him all he needed to know. He ordered one of his guards to check the lavatory. The man came back alone and too quickly shaking his head.

"We're leaving." He turned and walked briskly towards the exit of the monastery. "We will be back. It's time for a change."

If he had more people with him, he would take the Protectors right now and use them to his advantage. The Wraith were not the only enemies of Mina. The Protectors relied on volunteers, but he had proven that they were not necessary.

Arna…he would miss her counsel…had showed him how to adapt. It was time to teach these priests the lesson.

They made a mistake. The Venerable had informed the High Abbot of his treachery. He also told the High Abbot how to fix it.

In their meeting, the fool flat out asked him for the ceremonial scepter of Mina and the use of the Ring.

"No way," mumbled Refra as he entered his personal carriage. "Guardsman remain here with those four and keep watch. I want to know of anything that goes on."

The guard saluted with a hand on his breast and left.

Today would be the last day for the abbots' control of the greatest weapons in Mina.

------------------

_A/N: Alright, another chapter down more to go. Have a good weekend._


	18. Introductions

Chapter 18 

Introductions

"Didn't have to look far," Jones reported sliding back into the room.

The Athosians and Marcin stepped into the outer room. Trece followed and squeezed in with Ronon's vessel. Instead of dispersing, the crowd kept getting bigger in the hall.

"Brother Daven, please start directing everyone out," ordered the High Abbot. He turned his attention to a teenager. "Novice please fetch the Venerable and bring him here."

The High Abbot walked into the Vestibule and knelt down next to Mede. "Please, Brother Mede let the novices take Ganede. They will take very good care of her."

Mede hesitated and reluctantly let go of his sister. Others were carrying the body of former First Mender Arna Gezble away.

"Don't let her anywhere near Ganede," Mede requested. His anguish and disgust readily evident as he followed them to the anti-chamber.

The novices agreed.

Major Lorne stood in the Vestibule looking at the console protruding from the wall. He waved his hand over it and the image changed. It was all Greek or Latin or Ancient to him. He could only guess that it was showing the power usage of the baker's rack contraption.

Waving his hand once more it narrowed in on the only cube on the rack. Lorne was no expert, but he could read a gauge. This one said that Col. Sheppard's cube was low on power, real low. On top of that, it was not powering up correctly. He could tell a warning signal when he saw one. Now he wished his neon pink scientist was here.

The High Abbot reentered the chamber.

"How did you do this?"

Major Lorne raised his eyebrows and answered, "Would you believe I'm a powerful wizard?"

The High Abbot raised his eyebrows in unmasked disbelief.

"I'll take that as a no. It's something I can do. The technology of the Ancestors reacts to my presence."

"Col. Sheppard can control the vessel," said Mede hollowly as he walked slowly into the room and over to Sheppard's cube. He knitted his eyebrows in concern. "It's not recharging correctly. She must have damaged it. It does not appear to be a problem with the recharging rack."

"I was just noticing that on the monitor here."

"Who are your people?" The Abbot asked.

"Explorers, I'm Major Lorne and this is my team: Williams, Dennison, and Jones. This is Halling; he and the others are part of Teyla's people. That's Feris, Janna and Meka."

"May we see her?" Halling interrupted the introductions.

Marcin nodded and released Teyla.

Halling took a deep breath and said with a big smile, "Thank the Ancestors."

"It has been too long Halling," Teyla greeted with obvious joy and relief. She walked over and placed a frigid, transparent hand on each of his shoulders and greeted him traditionally.

With the touch, she read his mind: his joy, fear, and a single pondering of- what was there to eat since he had missed the meal?

She pulled back quickly.

He looked dazed for a second but regained his senses quickly.

"I am sorry; I did not know that would happen." Her eyes flitted around not looking at him.

"No harm Teyla. Now you know I am hungry."

She gave a small unsure laugh.

"You are correct." She turned to Trece. "Can you release Ronon? He's probably going insane."

Ronon appeared moments later and began his swaying from side to side.

"Thank you, I can't stay like this for much longer. Taking out Wraith in an all powerful finale is sounding really good."

"Our people have found us," Teyla cheerfully reported.

Ronon looked around and smiled briefly. "Good to see you." His swaying continued and his eyes shifted from person to person.

"Back atcha Ronon!" Jones called out.

"Can we go now?" Ronon asked.

"Sorry no. We have no idea what to do about the Colonel here. His cube is malfunctioning. We don't have any idea about how to put you back into your bodies. Which we have by the way." Lorne walked around the recharging rack.

"Dr. McKay! Where is Dr. McKay?" Teyla asked, eyes gaining intensity.

"Back home. Beckett has him. He was thrown about a bit but the last I saw him, he was doing fine."

Teyla and Ronon exchanged looks of relief.

"Sheppard will be glad to hear it," said Ronon.

"We need to get as much information on this thing," said Lorne pointing to the recharger. "And find if there is a procedure to fix this," he said while waving his arm at them.

"I can help you there."

It was the Venerable's turn to enter the small rooms.

"We have much to discuss."

--------------------

An hour later into their trip, Caldwell tried the team one more time. They had to be close enough for communication soon.

"Daedalus to Major Lorne."

_"Daedalus this is Major Lorne, good to hear your voice Sir. We've found them!"_

Not quite what he was expecting. What did he mean they had "found" them? Caldwell figured that the bodies on Atlantis were them.

"Explain Major." Caldwell turned an inquisitive eye towards the Lieutenant at the comms console.

_"We've found the Colonel, Teyla and Ronon. Who do you have with you?"_ The major sounded excited and nervous.

"Like who?"

_"Dr. Zelenka."_

"No one but my own people."

_"Send them to my location. We need them to take a gander at contraption left by the Ancients."_

"We're still about four hours away, Major Lorne." Caldwell really hated to have to say that.

_"Real sorry to hear that Sir. We're going to need your help."_

Caldwell heard the regret in the major's voice. A loud panicked voice in the background interrupted them.

_"Hold on Sir."_

Caldwell heard Lorne talking to someone else close by. As per usual, something was amiss. The universe like to remind them who was in charge with regularity.

_"Sir make it here with best speed, we have a situation…"_

And it was not them.

-----------------

_A/N: Short transitional chapter, but we are now starting into the next leg of the race. _


	19. Aand?

_A/N: Happy Halloween to those still celebrating._

Chapter 19

Aand?

The team except Williams and Janna, who stayed at the Vestibule, were led to the Venerable's apartments. They were given food, water and a story about the history of the Protectors. Then the Venerable told them another story about the current situation and a possible fix.

"So all we have to do is get this scepter and you can release our people?" Lorne asked with just a hint of sarcasm.

"Yes," replied the Venerable sincerely.

"**And** all we have to do is get by Refra, because you have already alerted him to the importance of said scepter?" Lorne confirmed with absolute facetiousness.

"Yes," replied the High Abbot apologetically.

"Piece of cake," Lorne chuckled as he looked from Halling and the rest of the team back to their hosts. "So where's this thing normally kept?"

"The Chancellor's main office in Mina," answered the High Abbot studying his hands as he sat in one of the Venerable's comfortable chairs.

"But since he knows we need it, it is probably not there anymore," interjected Halling. He leaned against a back wall trying to remain unobtrusive.

"Correct," replied Mede quietly.

Lorne paced the room. "Perfect." He wanted to say a good and proper sarcastic 'thank you' but instead he looked down at his watch. It had been about an hour and a half since the incident in the Protectors' chamber. It was time for a check in with those in the Vestibule.

"Williams has the Colonel's cube recharged yet?"

_"No Sir, but it remains at the same energy level. No change,"_ said Williams into the radio.

"Well that's something," retorted the Lorne dryly.

The sound of shoes running on stone floors echoed into the room from the hallway.

A burst of static redirected Lorne's attention from the echo, and then he heard sweet music in his ear.

_"Daedalus to Major Lorne."_

"Daedalus this is Major Lorne, good to hear your voice Sir. We've found them!" The day was definitely looking up.

_"Explain Major."_

"We've found the Colonel, Teyla and Ronon. Who do you have with you?" Lorne asked with a smile while listening to the footsteps getting closer.

_"Like who?"_

"Dr. Zelenka."

_"No one but my own people."_

"Send them to my location. We need them to take a gander at a contraption left by the Ancients."

_"We're still about four hours away, Major Lorne."_

"Real sorry to hear that sir. We're going to need your help."

The owner of the footsteps stopped in the doorway of the apartments and started to scream at everyone in the room.

"High Abbot! High Abbot! The Chancellor's men are here and are demanding the Protectors or they will attack the monastery!"

"Hold on Sir." Lorne directed his attention to the brother in the doorway. "How many?"

"I don't know," the brother looked down at his feet regretfully.

"Sir make it here with best speed, we have a situation…contact home and send a Puddle Jumper with a team and Dr. Zelenka. We could really use them now."

_"Understood Major. Daedalus out."_

"Lorne out." The major gave a broad grin. "Back up is on the way."

Jones stepped forward. "I have an idea on getting that scepter sir."

Yep, the day was definitely looking up.

-------------------

"IneedtogetoutIneedtogetoutIneedtogetoutIneedtogetout…"

It was not working. He could not release himself.

"Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease…"

Major Lorne was here. Rescue was at hand. He could not give up now.

"Ineedtogetout…"

Something must be wrong. What was the good of a secret if you could not take advantage of it?

The bitch had broken his toaster. Damn he was glad she was dead.

He had an add-on to his already long list of things he hated about the Pegasus Galaxy. It was a little revelation he had as he attacked the loathsome woman. A little something that happened when he had touched _her_. He had read _her_ mind and it was a place devoid of humanity. If anyone ever wanted to know if true evil existed, the answer was an unequivocal yes. He hoped that the little bit of interaction with _her_ could be easily let go. Rodney's dreams had nothing on that psycho.

Gezble's overall impression left him feeling covered in putrescence. The feelings were detestable and were clanking around in his (ha ha) head like rusted nails. If he could have vomited, he would have. If he could have showered his nonexistent body, he would have. If he could have pulled out his hair, he would have. He would say it again; he was glad she was dead.

The revelation also explained one other thing. The Protectors took memories from him in the clearing. Now he sort of knew how they did it. He guessed since they were pure energy and thought that they could connect with another being's brain. Now that was a terrifying thought. Fighting the Wraith was looking a little less attractive in this state.

It also helped explain why the Protectors were most likely in the override mode. They would have figured out that he, Ronon and Teyla were not volunteers. From what he had learned by meeting his sire- to use a borrowed term- was he was a nice guy. Dead, but nice and would not have gone through with the Sacrifice if he knew and had a choice.

So in order to not remain here as an uninvited guest for any longer than necessary…

He also needed…

"…to…get…OUT!"

------------------

_Rodney was a miniature King Kong on the Empire State Building. Instead of biplanes, there were Wraith darts buzzing around him. Although they were not shooting at him, they were scooping up people willy nilly._

_Sheppard hung on the other side. His elbow hooked around an antenna._

_"If gluttony is a sin in their society, you sure can't tell," he quipped as he poured the little candies from the box into his mouth._

_"Just wait until they get to China," retorted Rodney as he held his hand out for some._

_Sheppard obliged and Rodney popped them in his mouth._

_"Be right back."_

_Rodney let go and landed on the pavement below lightly._

_He frowned in confusion. If his team was his moral compass, in particular Sheppard, why was he allowing this?_

_The Sheppard he knew would not allow this. Rodney realized he would not allow this. What was wrong with him?_

_He could not think straight._

_Sheppard was suddenly behind him and whispered, "Let's go to D.C."_

_"OK," answered McKay._

_Oh that's right, he did not care. It was too painful. It was too expensive._

_Detach and remain unattached, but that was expensive too._

----------------------

_A/N: OK now, setting up the next part and hoping Sheppard doesn't burst a blood vessel trying to get out._


	20. Problems

Chapter 20 

Problems?

Dr. Elizabeth Weir stared off into space.

"Cubes."

Her lead team, save one, had been reduced to cubes.

Her office chair squeaked as she pushed back from the desk. She stood and walked past the still shattered window in her office.

"Cubes."

It sounded so very strange. She squashed another bout of hysterical laughter that threatened to burst out of the back of her throat.

Carson had been in the control room giving her a status quo update on the occupants of the infirmary when Col. Caldwell's report and resulting request reached them. Then as the excitement of the news of the teams supposed welfare was winding down and the Puddle Jumper was leaving, Major Lorne's direct contact produced shock.

The cursing that spewed from Carson's mouth was quite beautiful really. She guessed that it had to do with it being in Gaelic and peppered with Scottish colloquialisms. It made it more lyrical. She could hear the mumbling and the stomping down the corridor after Lorne had finished his quick synopsis of what had befallen the team.

Flabbergasted was a pretty good description of what her reaction was.

Cubes.

They were removed from their bodies by a device that Lorne described as a three pronged tuning fork. Now at least they knew what the strange marks on their abdomens were- exit wounds of a sort. Their very souls sucked out like a fountain Coke and deposited into glowing red cubes.

She did not even notice she was walking to the infirmary until she reached the door. Whether he was listening or not, she would tell "the one" that his team had been found- sort of.

When she entered there was shouting and general disorder in the curtained off area where Sheppard et al took up residence. Something must have happened while Carson had been debriefing her. Tense voices called out observations. Questions flew back and forth.

And she swore she heard someone say something about defrosting.

-------------------

Lorne stood on the wall of the monastery with his binoculars. Refra's men were setting up a perimeter and bringing in two very impressive big guns. If they got a lucky shot off, those bad boys could take down a Jumper or at least cause a good amount of damage. They definitely could take out the big thick oak-like door to the abbey if given enough time.

Then every once in awhile, some idiot would take a pot shot at the monastery. They had been doing this for an hour. He looked at the sun. It was three-quarters of its way down the sky. Sunset would be in less than two hours. They were most likely waiting for that.

The Jumper had landed about thirty minutes ago. After filling Zelenka in on all the unbelievable information, he stationed the team that came with the Jumper at various points around the abbey. Stackhouse and his team had volunteered to join them. He wanted to bring his C.O. home and this time not in a body bag.

"Has Dr. Zelenka made it down there yet?" Lorne asked into his radio.

_"Yes Sir,"_ replied Williams.

When the Jumper was preparing to leave Atlantis, he filled Weir in as best as he could and as quickly as he could. He could hear the _"Whatchya talkin' about Willis?"_ reaction going on around the Control Room. Well hell, he and everyone here had had that reaction as well.

Thankfully, now they would have regular communication with Atlantis and a form of escape if necessary. There was no way in hell he was going to leave without the scepter and the three recharged cubes. Stackhouse would definitely make it his life's mission to make sure he didn't.

However, Sheppard's cube was just not cooperating. Even Teyla's and Ronon's cubes were not charging correctly. The Venerable maintained that Sheppard's declination of the honor was to blame. If that was the case, he really needed to retrieve that oversized dinner fork soon.

Lorne scanned the soldiers below again. He could easily take those guns out but he did not want to leave these people defenseless. Not all were deceitful little pricks. He would wait for the Daedalus.

He tapped his earpiece again. "Dennison take Feris and make sure all doors are secured. Weir's Spidey sense has transferred to me."

_"On my way Sir."_

He kept his binoculars and a life signs detector on the small army out front. One man stepped forward with something akin to a director's cone.

_"Abbey of the Protectors! Hand the Protectors over to us or we will open fire on you!"_

The High Abbot stepped up to the wall out of nowhere. He must have been keeping tabs of the goins' on.

"Oh my brothers! You are being foolish! We are the keepers of the Protectors and cannot let you use them for any other purpose than for fighting the Wraith!"

Laughter rose from the soldiers. The man yelled back,_ "Old man! You have an hour to meet our demands!"_

Sunset would be the hour. Lorne kept watching and counting the group down in the fields. Wait a minute. He recounted. Crap. He recounted again.

His radio crackled and Dennison spoke in his ear.

_"Sir, we have a problem."_

Or he could be wrong about sunset.

-----------------

Dr. Zelenka was led down more stairs and hallways than Atlantis had or so it felt like. A young brother showed him the Vestibule and he entered. He stopped and stared for a good few seconds at all the prayer candles.

He was so zoned in on the contraption he did not notice the soldier just inside the room until he spoke up.

"Hey Doc!" The young soldier saw the startled and confused look on Zelenka's face. "Williams Doc." He gave a nod and a smile to the doctor.

Radek smiled in greeting back at him. "What do we have here? And what is the problem?"

"Believe it or not, Col. Sheppard, Teyla and Ronon are in those little boxes right there," he replied pointing to three cubes on the lower tier of the recharging rack. "But they're not behavin' themselves. The little cubes aren't rechargin' right."

Radek walked over to the exposed console. "Do you have the gene Williams?"

"You're in luck Doc, I sure do."

"I may need you." Radek waved his hand over the console's display. "Not good, not good…oh yes, that would cause that…aah interesting configuration and solution…" The Czech kept mumbling to himself while he unpacked his equipment.

He hooked up his laptop to the console. "I'm going to go through all information on entire device. Hopefully this'll lead to answer to solve Col. Sheppard's problem and the others as well.

Williams walked up and stood directly behind him looking over his shoulder.

"This may take a while," said Zelenka clearly annoyed. He went back to his mumblings.

"Sorry Doc." Williams stepped back and went into the anti-chamber.

He ran his hand along the table in the room ambling slowly along. His head shot up and he cocked his ear towards the door. He heard something. Williams pulled out the life signs detector. It registered ten blips slowly heading his way. He backed into the Vestibule.

"Doc, I need you to stay against the wall." He said it with such deadly calm Zelenka froze.

Williams clicked his earpiece. "Major Lorne we have visitors."

Zelenka's eyes grew three sizes and started moving around the room looking for intruders to jump out from behind one of the portraits.

"Hey Doc, any chance there's another door to this room. That one there doesn't look like the Ancients built it."

Zelenka composed himself and scanned the monitors around the room. One behind a particularly corpulent Venerable next to the doorway caught his attention. It was blinking; only problem was he would have to cross the room to get to it.

"Lieutenant take that portrait down so I can get a better look," directed Zelenka.

Williams carefully removed the portrait and stepped back to the side. He rechecked the scanner. The blips were getting closer.

"Come on Doc."

"The blue square, press it."

He did as told and a door slid out of the wall sealing the way.

"Alrighty then, that should buy us some time, unless they find a door mechanism on the other side." Williams gave a reassuring grin.

Still skittish, Zelenka went back to work.

He pulled up a schematic of the recharging device and then one of the cubes without the added mechanisms. He walked over to the rack and visually inspected Sheppard's first. He made a few notes and then went to another that had no damage.

"Very ingenious, direct tapping to allow us mere mortals access." He looked at Williams. "Do you know how to activate the cubes?"

"No, sorry Doc." Williams looked back down at the life signs detector. The blips were right outside the room. Four other blips were approaching from the other direction.

"Hope those are our guys."

A muffled bang and the sound of P90 fire came from the other side of the door.

"Yep, our guys." He gave a wicked grin.

_"Open up Williams. You OK in there?"_ Lorne asked over the radio.

"Peachy keen Major. That was fast."

Williams opened the door and smoke wafted into the room.

"Dennison found an open door. When your call came in, I knew what was going on and we were half way here." Lorne poked his head in and looked around. "No problems?" He walked all the way in.

"None to speak of Sir."

Williams noticed the injured intruders were being tended to and the bodies of the others taken away.

Zelenka purposely ignored the happenings around him and spoke up, "I need someone who can work the cubes so I can observe power utilization and inner workings."

"Whatcha have so far Doctor?" Lorne asked blocking his view of the mess in the other room.

"Not much, give me two hours." Radek went back to the console and studied the schematics.

"Jones is Brother Mede with you or the Athosians?"

_"He's with Meka."_

"Send them down here."

Lorne looked back at Williams. "I'm leaving Dennison, Smith and Feris here with you."

Lorne let a wicked grin of his own spread across his face. "I think it's time to ask the crowd outside to leave."

---------------

_A/N: Can't believe this is turning out so long. Didn't realize what an undertaking when I started. As always feel free to review._


	21. B'bye

Chapter 21 

B'bye

Lorne made his way back to the courtyard and the Puddle Jumper. Those jokers outside the walls of the monastery were leaving _**now**_. He would inform them of the really bad idea of staying and show them his own doozy of a pot shot.

"Anyone here a halfway decent sniper?"

Smith on Stackhouse's team answered the call with an affirmative.

"Excellent. Join me on the wall and pick out a spot where you can see all of our friends. I'll warn you, the only thing we have is the P90. Can you make due with that?"

_"Yes Sir."_

Lorne checked his watch. Another hour until the Daedalus arrived. He looked through the binoculars.

"Shit, they look like they are going to try a really stupid move," he said to no one in particular.

Stackhouse and the Athosians had remained on the wall watching the small army's movement. Lorne turned to Stackhouse. "Go retrieve what's left of our uninvited guests and bring 'em here."

Lorne looked back through the binoculars. The guns resembled Gatling guns. They were hand cranked and portable. These poor guys were outmatched and they did not even know it. Well, hopefully luck would be on his side and not theirs.

Smith materialized out of nowhere.

"Sheesh Sergeant!" Lorne exclaimed as he jumped away from him. After regaining his balance, Lorne asked, "OK where do you think?"

Smith studied the abbey. "Hate to be cliché Sir but the bell tower there," he replied pointing up to a tower towards the front of the abbey right off the courtyard.

"All yours Sergeant."

Smith took off running.

_"Moving into position now Sir. Coming up the staircase,"_ reported Stackhouse.

"Alright, if they want to take the Protectors by force, let's show them the error of their ways."

He grabbed a brother. "I need you to stand here and tell our audience out front that we have caught their men. We will return them if they promise to leave. If they don't leave, we will open fire. Oh, and don't forget to duck."

Lorne ran down a stairwell that led into the courtyard. He entered the Jumper and powered it up.

"Stackhouse tell the brother to ask the class to leave."

The brother yelled down to the men. "We're returning your comrades oh my dear brothers! Please leave or we will have to use other means!" He immediately hid himself behind the top of the wall.

One of the big guns fired. The shots hit the top of the wall sending stone fragments everywhere.

"Smith take your target and show them we mean business."

A shot went out and one of the gunners went down with a shoulder wound.

Stackhouse addressed the four captives, "I think you may want to convince your friends to leave."

The captives looked straight ahead while sitting on the floor of the top of the wall. They said nothing.

Stackhouse laughed, "I really think you should take a look over your troop's heads."

The Jumper uncloaked to the right of the small army and fired a drone at a nearby tree. It was disintegrated in a thunderous explosion. The men pivoted the guns to open fire. They were too slow. Lorne flew the Jumper away and re-cloaked it before a shot could be fired.

The men were shouting orders and scrambling for cover. They opened fire on the oak-like doors, hoping to shatter them.

They also raked the top of the wall with the other gun.

Stackhouse remained down hidden by the top of the wall. He shook his head.

"Stupid, stupid."

Smith took out another gunner.

One of the captives chuckled to himself and said, "Chancellor Refra will get those vessels."

"Yeah, I don't think so," answered Stackhouse. "Major show our guests what a drone can do to a little gun like that."

Stackhouse heard a laugh over his headset. "Give 'em fair warning Sergeant."

Stackhouse waited for the men to stop firing at the wall. "I suggest you get away from your toys, because we're going to blow them to hell!"

The men remained at their posts and started raking the air around them. They just forgot behind them.

The Puddle Jumper uncloaked one final time behind the guardsmen. Those that saw it opened fire with their sidearms and shouted a warning. They tried to bring the Gatling clones to bear. Lorne obliterated them all with a single drone.

The captives on the wall stared at the sight with mouths agape.

"Tell Refra we'll see him later and tell him what we can do. We want the scepter and we're leaving with the scepter. It's up to him how this goes."

Stackhouse, Halling and Feris led the men down the stairway to the front door. He pushed them out and sent them on their way with gunfire aimed over their heads. The men ran clumsily down the road back to Mina.

"I'm done playing nice," rumbled Stackhouse as he watched their retreat.

--------------------

"They're artificial brains," reported Zelenka. "They project an interactive and very sophisticated hologram based on the person stored within the vessel. I don't think they were intended as weapons but informational or learning nodules. An opportunity to pass on knowledge by the person who actually made the discovery or theory or whatever." Zelenka approached Lorne. He had found the results in less than an hour.

"Like some of the discoveries on Atlantis and at the lab on Parcini, this may have been an ascension experiment." Zelenka peered at Major Lorne over his glasses.

"That's all fine and good Dr. Z. but how do we keep Col. Sheppard's cube from completely depleting as soon as we remove it from the stand?" Lorne asked as he stood in the doorway of the Vestibule.

"Well, it seems the added hardware negated some of the failsafes and redundancies if they were ever there. These devices may have never been used by the Ancients. No information was ever stored in them from what I can tell. What it does have is a self diagnostic and repair program."

"Meaning…"

"Meaning, Col. Sheppard's cube should self-correct with the program. It may be as simple as a reset or as complicated as an actual repair to software." Zelenka squinted and pushed his glasses back up his nose. He really needed to invest in contacts or laser surgery next time he was home on Earth.

"After I run the program, Col. Sheppard should know and be able to release himself or you may be able to release him." Zelenka smiled. "Anyway, this should not take too long, an hour or two at most."

"Excellent Doc." Major Lorne gave Zelenka an approving nod. "Has Jones relayed his idea on how to find the other scepter?

"Yes, yes he has. I need the one here to complete a few scans and tests. Then we should be good to go."

"Very good. Then I'll get the Venerable to send it down." Lorne turned to leave.

Zelenka had waited to tell the bad news. He rubbed his hands nervously and pushed his glasses back up even though they had not fallen down. "Ah Major, there is one more thing."

Lorne returned his attention to the doctor with a wary look in his eye.

"The three cubes are not recharging like the other cubes as you know. Even with the fixes to the colonel's cube, it won't be charged up like the others."

Zelenka could tell Lorne did not like the way this bit of conversation was going.

"Aaand that means?"

"The vessels are rejecting the occupants," Zelenka relayed wanting to hide behind the cubes.

"What! How long before that happens?"

"A day, maybe two at the most. It must be a preprogrammed response to unfair incarceration. If the person is not released within a set amount of time, the cube erases them."

Lorne massaged the bridge of his nose. "OK Doc, thanks."

Zelenka gave a quick nod and returned to the console. "I'll start the equipment's diagnostic."

Lorne walked down the lengthening corridor and called for the Caen to be brought down to Dr. Zelenka.

The day just took a nose dive.

--------------

Refra sat in his office staring at the exhausted and distraught man in front of him. These strangers were more worrisome than Arna had let on. They had airships. A report had come from the Ancestral Ring too late for his men at the abbey. These airships had superior weaponry according to the man in front of him. Something he did not know until his men were incinerated. They could also disappear. Yes, very worrisome.

He needed the Protectors. If these people sided with the High Abbot, his office would be threatened. But, he had something they wanted. Something they needed. Maybe a bargain could be arranged. Maybe a simple trade. Surely these people could be reasoned with.

Arna would have argued with him. She was not here and not coming back. Yes a bargain; that is what he would try.

He sent the tired man out. He called for another to come in.

"Please have this note sent to the abbey," he said as he scribbled quickly onto a small piece of paper. Maybe Arna would be proud of his next move.

After the runner left he sent another to the Ring and issued more support to be sent there. Just because he made a bargain did not mean he necessarily had to keep it.

He might be able to gain the Protectors and screw those murderers as well.

She would have definitely liked that.

----------------

_A/N: Oh that crafty Refra. Really shouldn't take pointers from a nut job like Arna. Poor Radek having to give such bad news. Sorry boo boo._


	22. Time

Chapter 22 

Time

Major Lorne looked up to the heavens and rejoiced. A crisp clear communication from the Daedalus announced its arrival. He was immediately beamed up to the bridge to deliver his report in person.

"Major, glad to see you in one piece and solid," greeted Caldwell with a tongue-in-cheek lilt in his voice.

"Yes Sir," he returned an acknowledging nod to his superior officer.

"Where do we stand Major?"

"We have a diagnostic repair program running on the cubes. We repelled a small attack on the monastery by the local Gestapo. And now Sir, we have to steal a relic from the head of the local Gestapo, Chancellor Refra."

"Is that all?" The Colonel seemed slightly amused yet concerned.

"Oh, we have a time frame. Apparently, the cubes are going to evict Col. Sheppard, Teyla and Ronon within the next twenty-four hours. According to our last communication with Atlantis, their bodies are…well…defrosting."

"Yes, I received that report as well." Caldwell stood up from his captain's chair. As absurd as the situation was, he would not forget its graveness. "What do you need us to do?"

Lorne grimaced and squinted at Caldwell. "A little B and E…Sir."

-----------------

Zelenka sent the information on the Caen to the Daedalus. Hopefully, they would be able to use his research with ease. Hermoid would definitely be able to use it, easy or not.

He had been studying the Caen while the cubes recharged and the repair program ran. A mechanism similar in design to the ones on the vessels was attached. Once again, he came to the conclusion whoever designed this was very clever.

The instrument itself injected a compound similar to the Wraith enzyme to prepare the body for the extraction. It was different because if the person did not chose this honor it would preserve the body until they could be returned. Once again a mental component in Ancient technology that Sheppard had activated.

He also figured out how Sheppard could control it without any DNA. Well that was not exactly true. The DNA had been attached to the blades on the scepter. When the Venerable inserted the scepter into the cube, it recognized the ATA gene. He guessed that the scepter was not cleaned between each Sacrifice and it contained a little Sheppard DNA mixed in with Teyla's and Ronon's. Or it registered since Sheppard had already declined that they would too. This was all speculation though. It was just a good thing it registered their refusal too or they would not have bodies to return to.

He took a bite off a Power Bar and stared at the prayer candles. The vessels themselves reminded him of Jell-O cubes except they did not jiggle or wiggle. That would have freaked him out even more than when he saw Teyla and Ronon for the first time. Their ghostly forms were mind boggling enough. He did not think he would have been able to handle such a predicament.

He studied their power utilization on and off the rack. He extrapolated that they could last about 70 minutes without the charging base. Sheppard's would be less due to damage that could not be repaired. As long as they remained where they are, it would be fine until the inevitable occurred.

They could not leave by the Daedalus which was obvious from the start. The Stargate was the only way of salvation for the team. Homecoming one way or the other would not be long now.

-------------------

Lorne saluted Caldwell as he was beamed from the ship and directly into the High Abbot's apartments. Even though he expected Major Lorne's entrance in this manner, the High Abbot wore a surprised expression on his face. It did not stop him from asking the question of the hour.

"Can you do it?"

"Oh yeah. We need to wait until the cubes can travel then we can get out of your hair," replied Lorne. He sucked in his top lip in contemplation. "Can we use two of the Protectors when we visit Mina? I think they may help to get our point across a little better."

The High Abbot nodded in agreement before answering, "I know who to take."

A knock at the door halted the conversation.

"Enter."

A novice entered and held up a small piece of paper. "High Abbot, a note has come from Chancellor Refra."

The older man let out a deep aggravated sigh. "Thank you novice."

The young woman left and the High Abbot opened the paper. He snorted and shook his head. He handed the note to Lorne.

He read it and chuckled indignantly.

_To the High Abbot and Invaders,_

_We are reasonable people. A bargain must be reached. You need the Aeble and I need the Protectors.  
I will exchange the scepter for 3 Protectors. It is an equal trade. We will meet outside the western gate at midnight._

_Chancellor Refra_

"Is he serious? This asshole thinks he can blackmail us?" Lorne was angry. He was tired of this planet. He was tired of being on the defensive. He was tired of the Pegasus Galaxy making them its bitch. "You realize he won't stop there. He needs the base."

"Yes."

"Dr. Zelenka, let me know as soon as Col. Sheppard is ready to be moved."

_"Of course Major."_

"Daedalus this is Major Lorne."

_"Go ahead Major."_

"Can you scan the Stargate?" Lorne paced around the abbot's apartments. He was going to make sure that when it was time to go, there was nothing in the way.

_"Seems they have four large guns placed around the Gate and about 50 troops stationed there."_

Son of a bitch.

"Yeah, thought so. We just received a note from the Chancellor. He wants to make a trade. Sir with your permission, I'm not negotiating with the bas…gentleman. We will remain on the original plan."

_"Granted Major. We'll lend any support necessary,"_ Caldwell answered.

"Thank you Sir. We'll be in touch."

Lorne turned to the High Abbot and excused himself. He stalked down the corridor. He was past angry and into livid. He was going to take that note and shove it up Refra's…

"Sir!" Lorne stopped short and watched Stackhouse approach.

"Jumper's packed just waitin' on the rest of the luggage." He grinned for the first time in a while.

Lorne forced a grin back. Stackhouse had taken the condition of Sheppard's team particularly hard. If anything made the young man smile then he was not going to deny him that.

"When Zelenka gives the go, we're retrieving that fork and hitting the friendly skies."

They continued down the hall shoulder to shoulder. Yep, that note was getting shoved right up Refra's ass. Too bad they needed to take the dinner fork with them.

----------------

Radek watched the monitors and the console. It finally indicated the program was complete. He smiled proudly and reached for his earpiece to call Major Lorne.

**"…OUT!"**

Radek was so frightened by the sudden outburst; he spun around, tripped backwards and fell into the wall. Williams came running into the room with his gun raised and searching for the intruder.

Before them stood Col. Sheppard, his eyes shifting wildly from object to object in the room. After two or three seconds he gave a demented giggle. To Williams and Zelenka, his behavior was alarming.

The smile that curled across his features was of one possessed. Sheppard could have been a pasty, demonic clown beckoning to passersby at a sideshow carnival. All that was missing was the red hair and bulbous nose. Alarming was swiftly twisting into frightening.

"Sir? Col. Sheppard?" Williams cautiously said while remaining very still. He shot Zelenka a warning glance that commanded don't you dare move.

Williams kept his P90 raised as he watched his ghostly superior continue to take in his surroundings. Sheppard's gaze finally fell on him.

"Lieutenant?" Then he caught Zelenka out of his peripheral vision. His total demeanor changed into a jovial Casper.

"Hey Dr. Zelenka!" And just as quickly, Sheppard's face shifted from happy recognition to uncertainty to fearful concern. "Where's McKay? No offense but why isn't he here? Is he OK?" Concern contorted into menace.

Zelenka kept his back to the wall unsure how to answer.

Williams spoke up instead.

"He's resting in the infirmary Sir. The last time Maj. Lorne and I saw him, he was recuperating from his injuries."

Sheppard faced Williams and narrowed his eyes at him. The Lieutenant kept his face emotionless and returned the Lt. Colonel's stare. He knew what this man could do in this form. He saw Arna Gezble's body after Sheppard protected Brother Mede. He saw the smear of blood that trailed down the wall where her head met it- the back of it completely caved in. He saw how the rest of her body was distorted from the numerous broken and crushed bones- not unlike the colonel's own body back on Atlantis.

Zelenka finally found his voice. "Col. Sheppard, we're under a time constraint. Rodney's safe. Dr. Beckett's taking care of him. You, Teyla and Ronon, however, aren't. The cubes are preparing to release you whether you've a place to go or not. We must get you back home as soon as possible."

Radek slowly picked himself up off the floor as he kept his eyes squarely on the phantom in front of him. "Your cubes are ready to be transported and we'll be retrieving another one of the scepters very soon."

Apparently, Sheppard had no clue what Zelenka was talking about. Confusion now ruled supreme on his face.

Williams stepped tentatively into the room and lowered his weapon. Realizing Sheppard had been out of the loop for a while, he decided to get right to the point.

"Sir, the Daedalus is here; we have a Puddle Jumper; and we know how to get you back into your body. So Sir, let's get this show on the road."

"Oh, OK. Thank you Lieutenant." His reply was remarkably light compared to the unstable mental patient he portrayed just a few seconds ago. Sheppard relaxed, nodded and returned to his confinement. No argument, no questions, he just acquiesced. They were back to alarming.

Zelenka and Williams stared at each other for a good 15 seconds before Zelenka tapped his earpiece.

"Major Lorne, it's time."

---------------

_D.C. was in full bloom and dying._

_"Darts, darts everywhere and I see something to drink." Rodney was energized; **she** was running down the steps of the Capital._

_"Lt. Col. Samantha Carter, it's nice to see you!" He walked with a purposeful gait right up to her. He grabbed her in a bear hug and gave her a good Russian hello with an exuberant kiss on each cheek._

_"Dr. McKay," she said his name like an expletive. "What are you doing? Don't you see what's going on?" She frantically tried to pull away from him._

_"Oh you don't have to worry about that much longer," he said softly while gesturing towards the sky. He leered at her hungrily._

_"What? Why?" Her eyes searched his face obviously not liking what she saw._

_"You won't be here."_

_His hand planted firmly between her breasts and he fed._

_He cradled her like a baby as they dropped slowly to the sidewalk. This was sweeter than Lorne. He trembled with the anticipation and the inexorable fulfillment. She withered and screamed until her voice turned just as dusty as her skin. The sweetness left and a new feeling snaked into his being. His satiation ruined by it._

_"No, no, no, no, it couldn't be."_

_Remorse sucker punched him in his conscience and in his heart._

_"No, no, no, no. I don't care. I don't care. They mean nothing to me."_

_He stood up and just stared at the corpse._

_Revulsion._

_Despair._

_Attachment._

_Guilt._

_Confusion._

_Sheppard snuck up behind him. "Let's move on."_

_"No."_

_"Let's go see Jeannie."_

_"NO!"_

_"McKaaay, come on, let's go see L.A. or Miami or London or Moscow or Dublin…" He basically whined as he ticked off each name._

_"Shut up!"_

_Sheppard turned him around so they could face each other. "Pleeease. Pretty please with a **cherry** on top." Sheppard's eyes darkened and bore into Rodney, his voice losing any hint of a whiny tone._

_"We need to talk," replied Rodney shaking._

_"Then let's go have a seat and a good ol' fashioned heart to heart, buddy." Sheppard put his arm around Rodney's shoulder._

_The invitation was chilling and definitely unfriendly despite the familiarity in the gesture._

_"Yes let's."_

---------------------

_A/N: All aboard! Let's get our Jack-in-the-boxes home. And tell Refra what he can do with that note! Sorry Sam, couldn't miss an opportunity to make you Wraith yum yums._


	23. Seeya!

Chapter 23 

See-ya!

Lorne's team changed into regular Atlantis mission gear brought to them by the Jumper crew. The last part of their mission should not take long. It might even bring a little satisfaction to the whole set of deplorable circumstances.

"Webber, get everyone on board. It's time to go."

The sound of many footsteps on flagstone approached. Four Facilitators, five Protectors, and the Venerable crossed the courtyard. Lagging a few steps behind, Mede followed the group- his youthfulness long gone.

"May I say a quick goodbye?" Brother Mede asked of Lorne as he stepped to the forefront.

Lorne looked at Radek who nodded. "Quick, very quick."

Teyla and Ronon appeared first. Williams walked up to the Venerable who carried Sheppard's cube and placed a hand on top. He gave a simple thought command of "on".

Sheppard blinked into existence. "This isn't home," he stated flatly.

Lorne walked up to him. "No Sir, Brother Mede wanted to say goodbye."

The trio faced the brother.

With a big intake of air, Mede began. "Thank you Col. Shep…"

"John. After all you have done, you can call me John."

Mede gave an appreciative smile. "Thank you John for saving my life and reminding us of our need for vigilance." He gave the Venerable a quick sideways glance.

Sheppard stood before the brother fighting for every inch of sanity. The same fight was in the eyes of the others. He knew they were on the brink of losing the fight.

He accepted the thank you with a slight nod. Ronon and Teyla did the same.

"I think it's time to board. Colonel if you could…"

Once again, Sheppard nodded and blinked out of visible existence quietly. Marcin and Trece returned Teyla and Ronon. Everyone knew this would be over one way or another very soon.

Stackhouse with his team, the Venerable, Marcin, Trece, Zelenka and the rest of Lorne's team including Halling and the Athosians entered the rear hatch of the Jumper.

"See you soon Major!" Stackhouse called out as the door rose off the ground.

The Jumper lifted off the courtyard grounds and cloaked.

Lorne stood there with Mede and the two remaining Facilitators staring at nothing but hearing the soft whine of the engines as the ship flew away. He smirked, "Yeah real soon."

A voice roused him from his thoughts.

"The crier was dispatched about an hour ago, he should be well within his task," the High Abbot called across the courtyard as he approached.

"I guess it's time to put the fear of God or the Ancestors into Refra," replied Lorne.

"I think I'm going to enjoy this," stated the High Abbot. "I'm not sure what that says about me."

"You're human sir," said Mede quietly.

The High Abbot gave a small laugh. "I suppose you're right Brother Mede. By the way oh my dear brother, when all of this is finished, we must discuss your ordination."

"I would be honored sir." Mede stared at his feet as he responded.

Lorne clicked his radio. "We're ready Sir."

Major Lorne, the High Abbot and the two Facilitators with their vessels disappeared in a flash of light.

Mede stood by himself in the courtyard. For the first time in six and a half days (or was it seven?), he only had one responsibility. Time for him to get back to it.

-----------------

The High Abbot and the Facilitators stood on the bridge of the Daedalus soaking in the view. They had never seen their planet from orbit; it was beautiful. Their insignificance in the grand scheme of things came to mind as well.

"Well let's see if Hermoid has a lock yet. Some of the geological elements of the terrain and buildings are hampering the sensors, but we are positive that we can fulfill our end to the plan." Caldwell walked over to one of the consoles.

The High Abbot nodded absently still mesmerized by the sphere out the window.

_"Col. Caldwell, I have all targets locked into the computer. Whenever you are ready,"_ Hermoid's strange, tinny voice said over the comm.

"Let's go do this. Hermoid, proceed."

Caldwell stood with Lorne and the visitors. They beamed off the ship and directly into Refra's office.

For his part, Refra sat at his desk signing documents oblivious to his uninvited guests. That was until Caldwell cleared his throat.

Refra jumped in his seat and the pen flew out of his hand across the desk landing at Maj. Lorne's feet.

"Chancellor Refra, I would like to introduce Col. Sheppard's and my superior officer, Col. Steven Caldwell." Lorne smiled smugly and pointed to the colonel.

Refra stammered an incoherent response.

"Yes well, I can't say it's a pleasure either," responded Caldwell.

Finally Refra choked out a very raspy, "Guards." He cleared his throat and tried again. This time he successfully yelled, "Guards!"

A signal in Caldwell's and Lorne's ears brought smirks to their faces.

"Oh there's no one out there Chancellor. Go ahead check," invited Caldwell smoothly.

Refra moved towards the door and opened it. No one was in the hall. He stepped out a little farther. No one was anywhere close.

"All your people, including those at the Stargate with their little pop guns, are at a small clearing I think you're familiar with."

Another communication came from the ship. Caldwell nodded to Lorne as the Aeble appeared on Refra's desk.

Caldwell went over and picked it up. "Thank you Hermoid."

Caldwell looked at Refra daring the man to challenge him. Refra's reaction was a vacuous gape that should have scraped his chin on the floor.

"Maj. Lorne here you go. Now get our people back."

Lorne acknowledge him with a smile and nod. "Jumper 2 uncloak and prepare to receive me."

Apparently Refra had had enough, he bolted.

Caldwell chuckled into his comm, "Hermoid."

Refra reappeared behind his desk and slammed face first into his office wall. It shook with the impact. He bounced off the wall and dropped to the floor.

"Thank you again Hermoid. Please send Maj. Lorne to the Jumper."

Lorne saluted and said, "See you at home Sir." He then disappeared.

Caldwell walked over to the dazed Chancellor and squatted down next to him. "I believe we have a few things to discuss. The High Abbot and these Protectors would like a word with you in front of a few hundred of your closest friends and constituents."

The abbot smiled and said, "Oh yes my dear brother, I concur."

Caldwell stood up and helped the loopy Chancellor to his feet.

"Hermoid, it's time for us to enter stage center."

--------------------

Lorne reappeared in the back of the Jumper.

"Venerable, please tell me this is what we need."

The abbot took the seven pronged scepter and studied it. He smiled, "Yes it is. Its set-up is very close to the Caen, so I should be able, with the help of the texts, to return your colleagues."

"Good to hear." Lorne looked to the front of the Jumper. "Webber, it's time to go home."

"Yes Sir."

The Jumper approached the empty Stargate. With a broad grin Lorne ordered, "Stackhouse dial it up."

--------------------

The Kool-aid was choking him. He reminded himself that he had to stay put. He had to stay put. He had to stay put.

The energy surrounding him changed and the red drained away.

Without warning, he was plunged naked into the arctic tempest that is a wormhole. His mind was released out into the immenseness of the Universe and it was devastating. He was sentience searching for sentience and finding it- and more.

His thread snapped.

He screamed.

Two other minds were with him and also screaming as they rode the temporal curl. He did not know which scared him more, the ride or the fact Ronon was shrieking along with him and Teyla.

They were already glorified data and could not be broken down any farther. It left them exposed to the raw power carrying them. It terrified them, fascinated them and shredded them. They flew past super novas, civilizations, black holes, anomalies unknown and more Wraith ships than they could count. The stimuli overwhelmed them and tore away at what little sanity they had left. Their minds touching a piece of everything that was in cosmic spitting distance of the wormhole.

Just as quickly as it fell away, the Kool-aid returned threatening to drown him in its finiteness.

He had to stay put, so he counted. He knew the exact count of a Jumper returning from the Stargate and ascending into the Jumper bay. 32. The Jumper would be too confining. He needed open space. He needed to wait.

5

Sit Ubu, sit.

11

He had to wait until 32.

18

Stay.

25

Oh God, he couldn't…

He rematerialized in the back of the Jumper to the stricken faces of the occupants with their hands clamped tightly over their ears. It was crowded and he could not help but touch others. It added to the melee in his nonexistent brain.

He had to make it stop.

The hatch was lowering, but way too slow.

With a loud, guttural howl, he hurled everything he was, is and ever going to be at the lowering ramp.

------------------

_A/N: Now they are home. The end. Ok just kidding. Smooth sailing from here. Demented giggle._


	24. Whirlwinds

Chapter 24 

Whirlwinds

The last time he was here waiting, it was…

Beckett looked to his left and Weir stood beside him shoulder to shoulder. "It's not goin' to be easy on them ya know."

She nodded.

"They're already running it way to close."

She nodded again. "I know Carson."

They watched as the Jumper rose through the floor automatically maneuvering into position. He finally let a smile cross his face. The three little lambs were home. And just as importantly, they needed him this time.

They started towards the craft as the hatch began its descent. The small opening allowed an unexpected and otherworldly sound to escape. It was as if the North Wind was howling across the moors and out the back of the Puddle Jumper.

He and Weir stopped in their tracks when something hit the door and threw it down. The gantry clattered to the floor with one corner ripped completely off. The sound of it hitting the bay floor was deafening.

Carson was too close as the North Wind blew out of the craft brushing against him. Its icy touch was forceful enough to knock him down right onto his ass. The streak continued its mad howl and rose about six feet off the floor.

If anyone thought they had heard anguish before, they knew with absolute certainty they had heard it now. The phantom released an eardrum splitting and heart stopping roar.

"Bloody hell," said Carson, "What's happened to ya Colonel?" He and Elizabeth exchanged worried looks. They had known what to expect from communication with the team, but this was not it. Not by a long shot.

The Colonel in one fluid move slammed himself into the floor of the bay. It actually reverberated with the impact.

"LET 'EM OUT! LET 'EM OUT! LET 'EM OUT NOW!" He commanded frantically from his knees grabbing his head.

He could not help it; Carson stared and wondered why he was grabbing at a head that was not really there. He pondered the incongruity of the action briefly. Some responses must be so ingrained in a human that certain reactions were involuntary. Fascinating.

Carson twisted around to see a thin man exit the Jumper holding what must be one of the cubes. It was producing a bright golden light. Two young women followed immediately each carrying identical red cubes. Others started to trickle out slowly checking to see if it was safe.

The older gentleman nodded to the women.

The North Wind was joined by a Hound of Hell and a Banshee. Carson was now smack dab in the middle of an Irish fairy tale. All he needed was a pub and a fire crackling in a hearth. The fair folk had to be here somewhere.

Ronon streaked through the bay and slammed into the one of the walls. While Teyla soared into the empty space above everyone. Both released supernatural cries the instant they left the cube.

A few seconds later, Teyla and Ronon viciously crashed their bodies into the floor. Unlike Sheppard's impact, the floor did not shudder this time. The cries continued from each apparition.

Weir straightened herself to full height and walk confidently over to Sheppard. She knelt down in front of him.

"John," she whispered, "John, welcome home." She reached for him. Her hand went through his knee.

Lunatic eyes met hers. They looked through her and emotions shifted across them. He looked pained, sorrowful, angry, and then concerned.

"Dr. Weir, he's reading your mind," said Lorne calmly from the back of the Jumper.

She retracted her hand, but his eyes never left her. They changed from lunacy to just this side of crazy.

"John. John, you're home." She smiled softly at him.

He looked for all the world like he was hanging on to each word out of her mouth as if they were a life raft. As if they were keeping him from drowning in whatever tormented state he was now in.

Without ever moving his lips, a demented giggle escaped from him. "Yes, yes home."

At the same time, Halling carefully approached Teyla. Without any reservation, he touched her. His hand penetrated her shoulder.

Her head snapped up and the screaming ceased. Their friendship and trust in one another flooded her. He was her confidant when leadership burdens threatened to overwhelm. Her life line in her raging turmoil. Her thoughts cleared but insanity clung to her body. She repositioned herself to stand straight and proud next to Halling. She never spoke.

Carson looked around at the stunned group, only one remained, the Hound of Hell.

Sheppard took care of that.

"Specialist Ronon Dex!" he shouted disappearing and reappearing in front of the man, "Dex! Stand down, that's an order!" It was clear, final and left no room for an argument.

Dex let out one last wail and came face to face with Sheppard with feral eyes. Everyone waited to see if he would rush the colonel or comply. The eyes focused and a precarious control returned along with his continual swaying.

"Understood," he grunted his head bobbing to and fro.

With the uneasy calm, the Venerable stepped closer. "Col. Sheppard, you've used too much power. You need to return."

Sheppard, still trying to reign in every out of control impulse, nodded. He looked at Elizabeth.

"McKay, need to see McKay before…" He gazed back at the accursed cube. "Good to be home…Can you explain..?" He looked at Teyla and Ronon.

They gave a short nod.

He grinned, "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride."

Carson kept watching, their images vibrated like harp strings. They were agitated in every definition of the word. Whatever had happened had disturbed, scared and completely freaked them out. So not what he was expecting.

Col. Sheppard closed his eyes and popped back into the little box.

Weir mumble, "All around the cobbler's bench…" and then she closed her eyes and snorted softly.

Opening her eyes, Weir looked at Teyla and Ronon, "What happened?"

"We were not ready for omniscience," replied Teyla. She cocked her head to the side and closed her eyes. She was still fighting as well. "We experienced the wormhole in all its power."

Again Weir snorted. "Well, welcome home both of you, we missed you." Elizabeth gave a warm smile and an understanding nod.

They nodded in return and then they too were put away.

The Venerable took the opportunity to walk up to Weir and introduced himself, "I'm part of the cause of this meaningless nightmare. My deepest apologies. One day, I hope you and your people can forgive me and my people."

Carson knew what Elizabeth would liked to say, but she was a professional after all. Her answer was much nicer than what his would have been.

However, her face remained emotionless; she would not concede absolution just yet. "We'll see."

------------------

Caldwell had actually enjoyed watching Chancellor Refra squirm under the scrutiny of his fellow townsfolk. The two Protectors held him in place as the High Abbot addressed the crowd. He told a harrowing tale of betrayal, intrigue and corruption.

From the moment of their entrance- and what an entrance if he judged the reaction of the crowd correctly- to now, they were mostly silent, mostly. When the Abbot relayed the attack, they gasped. Even Caldwell flinched. The man was good.

They murmured amongst themselves as he continued to weave the tale. Refra blanched as the abbot spoke of the monastery. Rumblings escaped from the throng.

"Guards turning on our own people and innocent workers?"

"Outrageous."

"Sacrilegious."

"Horrible."

Caldwell had an idea. "Hermoid," he whispered, "Make sure those guards and troops are disarmed when they come back."

_"Of course Col. Caldwell."_

He returned his attention to the abbot and the crowd.

The catcalls and hissing directed at Refra increased.

"Please understand we must never let such a violation of rights ever happen again. Without volunteers, the Sacrifice does'nt work." He paused and scanned the gathering. "They were not here to join our fight. But they came to us searching for allies in the overall fight. They fight the Wraith, they have even won battles. This man and the counsel lied. Reject his faulty reasoning and never let this happen again!"

The abbot pointed to Caldwell. "They have a ship in orbit of our planet. They used it to remove all the soldiers from their posts. When they return, we must demand they make a decision. To continue following this man or serve the people!"

"A new leader!" someone shouted.

"You High Abbot!" someone else yelled.

He shook his head, "I too have fallen to the temptation and shall step down."

More gasps echoed through the crowd.

"No!"

"Not you!"

Caldwell watched carefully. Individuals were reasonable, mobs were not. He did not want a mob.

"Yes oh my dear brothers and sisters, even me. These Protectors were used in the attack. They're even trying to forgive themselves and they had no choice."

He closed his eyes and took in a deep exaggerated breath, "Other's paid for my blindness with their lives."

"Hang him!"

"No, a trial is called for. That's how we must proceed. Let's prove to these people we're civilized and interested in justice."

"Yes!"

"A trial!"

The High Abbot faced Refra. "The will of the people Chancellor- you overstepped your post. It is time to reap the whirlwind."

Caldwell stepped forward, his gaze landed on some of his men hiding in the shadows of one of the buildings unbeknownst to any resident of Mina. He nodded to them. The abbot had kept the mob at bay.

"I believe we can take it from here Col. Caldwell. Thank you for the enlightenment. And the opportunity to gain a clear perspective."

"We'll be orbiting another day or two to keep tabs on the Vestibule and make sure it is operating properly."

"Until next time."

Caldwell nodded, "Hermoid."

With a flash, he and his hidden crew were gone.

---------------------

The trek to the infirmary was filled with information being swapped back and forth. The Venerable described the procedure as he understood it. Beckett relayed the petrifaction of the bodies and subsequent breakdown of the chemical.

"I always knew the First Venerable had a good reason for his conditions on the Protectors," observed the Venerable. He pivoted his head around. "Certainly, this outpost of the Ancestors has more information than I."

"No, unfortunately the experiment was never entered into the logs at this outpost," replied Beckett. Weir had deliberately made sure the hallways were emptied and the lie of Atlantis' continued survival kept. The visitors thought they were now at another Ancient installation. Deliberate and necessary subterfuge. It was working.

"The order Carson, who goes first?" Elizabeth asked after a few steps.

"Ronon's first. He's the least involved and has the fewest injuries. We'll observe how he handles it and then proceed with Teyla, followed by the Colonel."

They entered the infirmary where Ronon's body was being prepped for the procedure.

Weir directed the Venerable and his assistants to a curtained off area. Major Lorne accompanied them to lend a hand.

"Let them see Rodney," she said to Lorne.

Lorne touched the cube and Sheppard instantly stood next to McKay's bed. Ronon and Teyla soon followed.

Sheppard stared at his catatonic science geek and placed his hand on his arm. His face immediately changed into a scowl and in an enraged voice that carried throughout the infirmary, he yelled,** "What the fuck McKay!"**

-------------------

_A/N: Love those WTF moments. _


	25. Waking

Chapter 25 

Waking

_Rodney stepped onto the outcropping that had no business being in D.C. He sat down next to Sheppard who promptly offered him some candy._

_"Jujube?" He popped one into his mouth and held the box in front of Rodney._

_"Hello, citric acid," emphasized Rodney, mortified._

_"Doesn't matter here; go on take it."_

_Rodney shook his head as a Wraith dart screeched over head._

_"President thought he was safe in his bunker. Little did he know the Wraith mysteriously obtained Asgard beam technology." Sheppard gave a sly smile at his companion. "Wasn't me though."_

_Rodney watched as another person was scooped up in a dart._

_"I know who you are."_

_Sheppard ignored him and continued commenting on the scene below. "Been watching that man over there. He dodges from building to building. Wanna take bets on how long he can evade them?"_

_A dart screamed by and scooped the man up._

_"Whoops, never mind."_

_"You aren't the Colonel."_

_"Sing a song of sixpence; look in Sheppard's eye…" Sheppard pulled his lower eye lid down with his pointer finger. The green morphed into a yellow, reptilian, Wraith eye._

_"You're a liar."_

_"Well now really?" Sheppard laughed. "But who's been lying to whom?"_

_His dark hair turned white and lengthened past his shoulders. His complexion turned sallow and then to a sicklier blue-green. His teeth sharpened and became fangs._

_"Is this better?" He said as spittle hit Rodney in the face._

_"I've been lying to myself. I'm not afraid of you…well I am…but not nearly as much as who is underneath." _

_Rodney grabbed the Wraith's face and dug his fingers in to the skin. He pulled the skin away. Blue eyes peeked back at him through the gore. He gave them a sad sigh._

_"I'm such a liar. You're not even here." He waved his arm through the manifestation and it disappeared. "Kate didn't understand, I can't let myself do any of this," he said staring out at the devastated city._

_Rodney stood and stepped up to the edge of the escarpment. He placed his back to the city and his toes on the edge of the cliff. He opened his arms wide and closed his eyes. He leaned back._

_**"What the fuck McKay!"**_

_Rodney's descent was halted by a hand gripping his shirt._

_"I come here to help and find you doing the Nestea plunge!"_

_McKay opened his eyes to the insane fury of Col. John Sheppard._

_"Once again I ask what the **fuck** McKay?"_

_This Sheppard was different than the other. He was mad and in more ways than one. He even looked different._

_Sheppard pulled him back onto the outcropping and let go. McKay smoothed the wrinkles on his shirt and__ stammered, "Wha…Who…What?"_

_Sheppard gave that self-righteous smirk, "Hi honey, we're home."_

_McKay did not know if this was real, imagined or…_

_Sheppard interrupted his confusion. "What are you doing? Hiding or just giving up?" He stepped up to the edge of the cliff and looked out. "While you were here so afraid of your shadow and entertaining your demented little fantasies, we were living the dream. I've been mostly dead all week, killed a woman, had another one's face blown off in front of me and destroyed the rear of one of the Jumpers. What've you been up to?"_

_McKay became defensive, "I'm protecting the rest of you from the menace that is Rodney McKay. Look at what I could do. Kolya made me talk. What makes you think I couldn't do this if the Wraith captured me? I might even like it."_

_"Please McKay, like we'd let you," he said gesturing around him to no one._

_"We? Who are you talking about? There's no one else here."_

_"Sorry, I'm in two places at once. I see you and I see the infirmary. It's a long story and one I'd like to tell you." He closed his eyes and looked like he was fighting for something. "You think this is evil; you think you're evil…" He giggled as he reopened his eyes._

_Rodney did not like the giggle. Sheppard did not giggle. Sheppard scoffed; he chortled; he guffawed; he did not giggle._

_Before McKay could move Sheppard had a hold of his wrist. "This is the blackness of evil McKay. This is what evil feels like."_

_He felt any happiness, love or friendly notions drain from him. It sucked him into a spiral of greed, hate, selfishness, perverse desires and enjoyment of causing others pain and terror. All very familiar. It left as abruptly as it had begun._

_The difference between that and what he had been dreaming was the ever present conflict in the back of his mind. He would wake up knowing the difference between right and wrong. This had no such distinction. _

_He frowned and studied Sheppard. He looked bad- not quite right._

_"If you want to talk to me, Teyla or Ronon, you have to wake up right now. We're running out of time. Or I can reach my cold dead hand into your chest, grab your heart and squeeze it until it squishes through my fingers like Play-doh. You won't have to worry about any of this anymore. Up to you McKay."_

_Just like that, he was gone._

_And so was McKay._

-------------------

McKay opened his eyes with a start. This time he was not joined by his usual self-loathing. He felt all right. He still was not totally healthy, but closer. He looked right at and through Sheppard, Teyla and Ronon.

"I see dead…"

"Don't you even finish that sentence McKay. You need to finish the movie if you want to make a joke." Again Sheppard closed his eyes and appeared to be fighting himself. "Good choice by the way."

"You'd better keep your cold dead hands to yourself Sheppard."

"Ronon! We need to get you over hear lad," called out Beckett interrupting the tender moment.

Everyone moved out of the curtained off area and over to Ronon's body. The curtain pulled wide, McKay saw his teammate for the first time since his little excursion to the land of the dead.

He sat up and moved to get off the bed. Elizabeth caught his arm. "Rodney, this is not going to be pretty. We're forcing their souls back into their bodies. The abbot said it could be violent and it could kill them." She fixed him with a serious glare. "This was done one other time and the young man made it just barely. He didn't have any injuries and they're in bad shape Rodney. Are you ready for this?"

"No, but I'm not leaving them."

He walked slowly guiding his IV pole over to stand next to Sheppard.

"I'm going to watch Ronon but I've got to get back in the cube. It's close to being depleted." He giggled again. "Conserve power, conserve power." He shot a mischievous glance at McKay.

"Alright here we go," said Carson. All the necessary equipment was standing by. Three teams waited for their patients. He gave the nod to Trece. She returned Ronon to the cube.

The Venerable took the Aeble and inserted it into the bottom of the cube. The added mechanism beeped and he withdrew it. The cube turned a dull red. He said a few words under his breath as he walked slowly to Ronon's body.

He carefully placed the scepter onto the man's abdomen and with a powerful downward thrust the seven blades penetrated Ronon's flesh. He depressed a button to send Ronon home.

Ronon's eyes snapped open and he took in a long strangled breath. He shook and grimaced and moaned as the scepter was removed. His eyes blinked rapidly and he grinned. Then the machines started their protestations and he went slack on the bed.

"We knew this might happen, he's in shock. Get him over here and let's get him stable," directed Beckett.

A flurry of activity surrounded his bed as IV's were started and catheters inserted. He was moved to the diagnostic bed.

Rodney looked at Teyla and Sheppard who stared at their own bodies dejectedly.

"From what Elizabeth said, the young man survived and he didn't even have access to Carson's innate grasp of medical hocus pocus."

Sheppard caught his gaze and smirked, "S'pose. Well, time to put Edwina back in bowl. See ya later." He gave one last, quick, beleaguered look and quietly blinked out of sight.

Teyla looked at Rodney, "It is good we have him." She watched the medical staff wheel herself over. She too was recalled for a brief and final stay in the Jell-O mold.

The Venerable repeated the procedure and Teyla repeated Ronon's reaction. Beckett's team repeated their actions.

Carson stood next to Rodney. "He's not going to be able to talk to you for a while. Anything you want to say to him?"

"We're good Carson. You just shake your rattle and bring on the juju."

Carson rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated snort.

After a few moments, the Venerable held the Aeble over Sheppard's stomach and thrusted it home.

------------------

And on the seventh day, Sheppard woke up from his unrestful stint as the dearly departed.

His eyes shot open and he drew in his first breath. Those seven days had been less than idyllic . His brain reconnected with his body. The body was not happy. And when the body isn't happy, ain't nothing happy. It started sending in detailed and painful reports of his injuries.

The brain made a list and checked it twice. Everything was naughty and nothing was nice. Everything from back to chest to legs to head hurt so much that he could not even yell. His lungs let out the first intake and did not want to repeat the procedure. They did it reluctantly.

He jerked when the seven pronged fork was pulled out of his stomach.

A rapturous smile spread across his face. The pain might have been excruciating but, Goddamn, it **felt** good. He had nerve endings again, muscles again, bones again- he mentally performed a small happy dance for his previously expired self. And holy crap they all hurt.

Then his lungs mutinied. His heart decided what the hell and followed.

Behind the roar in his ears, the wailing of the machines grew dimmer along with the clipped voices.

_Ah shit,_ he thought. He was going to die for the second time this week. If it happened right now, it would be alright. At least this time he was home and surrounded by friends. No more lonely, motherfucking, Kool-aid filled, Rubik's cubes of damnation.

He kept the grin for as long as he could until all features on his face slackened and he exhaled contently.

The last sound that filtered through was McKay's voice and boy was he pissed.

--------------------

_A/N: Well here we are. Rodney glad you're back, now patience while your team is on the road to... recovery._


	26. Recovery 2

Chapter 26 

Recovery 2

And on the first full day of their return to corporealness, Rodney watched them.

Ronon had been removed from the ventilator sometime during the night, but remained drugged to the gills. Carson said he would wake up a little later in the day. Rodney could not wait. Teyla and Sheppard remained on the machines. They had more tubing and wires snaking around them than a soda machine. There were IV's, catheters and leads to monitor blood volume, heart function, lung function and kidney function. All this function was progressing nicely according to the medicine man himself. However, his team still lingered very much in the woods.

Clad in scrubs, he sat on the side of his bed and listened. The proofs of life hissing, whirring, swooshing and beeping steadily. Every once in a while an alarm would go off. Usually an IV was too low or something else needed to be checked. At first the alarms scared him, but he grew accustomed to the annoying sounds.

They were separated from the rest of the patients in the infirmary. They were still in his ever watchful eyesight. Carson had mentioned they were highly susceptible to infection and needed to be away from germ carrying patients. That was everyone and anyone Rodney thought.

McKay smirked to himself. Even as a poltergeist, Sheppard had done him a favor. He could either get busy living or get busy dying to quote a line from a great movie. The image of his heart as a misshapen lump of gore in his chest did it for him. Actually, that would probably do it for anyone.

Heightmeyer and he had an appointment after lunch. He would reveal his epiphany and Sheppard's role in it. That ought to earn a session for the Colonel. He could see the indignation and white hot glare when he let Sheppard know he had told on him. Of course the entire infirmary had heard him. The man had not been using his indoor voice. Rodney had noticed the appalled and nervous looks on everyone's face who was present. Lorne's hand hovered over Sheppard's cube just in case. There was satisfaction in the knowledge Sheppard would have a little 'splaining to do- a good satisfaction this time.

Their resurrections were disturbing. Beckett's team practically manhandled them. Then there were the natural reactions to life returning to the corpsicles. The bruises darkening as the blood restarted flowing through their veins and arteries. As a matter of observation, he could not tell where one bruise began and the next one ended on Sheppard. Then there was the blood flowing out of any open wounds. Especially the one on Sheppard's chest. Reluctantly, Carson told him what had caused it. Rodney went ballistic. He compared everyone in the medical profession to Frankenstein and not the funny one from Mel Brooks. But the misguided one from Shelly. Not only were they accosted by that sick-o of a woman (that part he found out later) their own were trying to slice and dice them. Abracadabra.

He scratched at his healing scars. Just the fact that a scepter (or cursed monkey's paw if he stayed with the hocus pocus theme) was plunged into their abs and the fact they all felt it (he could tell) when it was pulled out, made him want to crawl under the covers and not come out until Christmas. But he was done hiding and done with being afraid of what ifs. There would always be what ifs. There was nothing he could do about them.

As he sat in his scrubs, scratching itchy scars and keeping an ever watchful eye on his team, he was viciously smacked in the back of the head.

"Ow! What the hell…Radek?" Rodney turned a violent eye towards his co-worker and friend.

"Making sure god amongst insects was not in full blown pity party." Radek plopped himself down next to McKay on the bed. "Making sure small violins were silent."

"Damn," McKay said rubbing his head. "You could've just asked."

"Last time I come in all nice and polite, you go goofy. This time I make sure marbles are all in right place."

"A-S-K, ask next time." He shifted on the bed to let Radek have more room. "Thanks."

He received another cuff.

"Son of a bitch! Stop it!"

"There you go being goofy again; who are you? Rodney McKay I know doesn't say thanks."

"Well, I'll say it only once and you shall never hear it again. It was for your work on the cubes, but never mind now. Fuck you and the horse you rode in on."

"Much better." Radek smiled valiantly. "You're welcome."

Radek joined him in his quiet vigil.

"Do you think Colonel would've crushed you heart like ripe tomato?"

"I saw the nutzoid look in his eye, you better believe it."

"I was trapped in small room with him- I do believe it. I was hoping you believed it." Radek ran his hand through his hair. "Let's hope he's much more stable when he wakes up."

Rodney pursed his lips and scrunched up his face. "Hadn't thought of that. Let's hope that being in their own bodies puts them back to carrying a full sea bag." He looked at Ronon. "Especially since Carson's waking up Conan this afternoon."

A crazy Satedan was not something he looked forward to.

"He looked like elephant ready to charge, now he has body to go with it," Radek added.

"His skull's got a hairline fracture and he's sportin' broken ribs- he won't be the charging bull yet."

"Wounded animals are more dangerous- yes?" Radek looked worried.

"Well…Maybe…Maybe I can convince Carson to keep the tranqs handy."

------------------

And very early on the second day...

Ronon winced and scowled as the tube was removed from Teyla's throat. He rubbed at his own sore throat unconsciously as he rolled over in his bed to look at Sheppard. He was next.

The medical staff started clearing out so he could see her. She was surrounded by icepacks to ease her cracked vertebrae. Her ankle was set in a cast and her ribs were wrapped. They all shared the broken ribs from slamming into trees. McKay's were even bruised. The forest had won that contest. Beckett was waiting for the tests to confirm all internal injuries were well on their way to healing and stable before the army of mini robots could be unleashed into them.

He was not used to being such an invalid. But this was far better than the…sea of red. He could move albeit gingerly. He was even planning and looking forward to his exercise regimen. And then there was the food. So many things he wanted to eat and enjoy. Beckett had them on a restricted diet but afterwards look out. Soon, oh so very soon.

A shadow fell across him and he looked into the face of McKay. He mentally groaned.

"What?" It came out as a bark.

"What? Is that anyway to greet a fellow teammate ya big oaf? I come over to check on you and you get all grouchy?" McKay gave a dramatic roll of the eyes. "OK worshipper of Cromm, I'll get right to the point. Tell me you're not a lunatic in the grass."

Ronon was thoroughly confused. Sometimes this little man could make him feel like an imbecile and other times he made him feel like an integral part of the team. McKay was a conundrum all unto himself. And he was damn useful. And Ronon was glad he was there.

"I could ask the same question." Ronon's blackened eyes peered mischievously at Rodney.

"Oh yes, that…well our intrepid leader pulled me out of my funk." Rodney poked out his chin and fidgeted nervously.

"I was there," Ronon laughed and immediately regretted it. Although he would not let the scientist in on his discomfort. "He threatened you."

"Whatever," he waved away the comment, "It worked." His gaze intensified. "How about you?"

"I'm fine; the entire experience is hazy in some areas and clear in others. Like Sheppard assisting you out of your _funk_."

Teyla shifted in her bed and they both watched her. She seemed peaceful.

"Well is there anything you need?" Rodney asked.

"No, food is coming, I'm unhooked and I can move. I'm good." Ronon shifted to get a little more comfortable. Something came to him. "I do have a question."

"What is it?"

"Who's Night Crawler?"

--------------------

And the third...

Lorne looked down at the convalescing lieutenant colonel and grinned.

"I mean it Major, if he's going to quote a movie, he had better see the thing all the way through." Sheppard glared at Williams who was stifling a laugh behind the Major.

"You drag his ass in there and keep him there so we…" Sheppard motioned towards Teyla and Ronon as well as himself, "Can get some peace."

McKay had not left them since their return. Even though he had been released to his quarters, he was still constantly underfoot. He had Teyla considering violence. It was heartwarming in a McKay sort of way but shit, it was annoying.

"And Major if you should choose not to accept this mission you will go on every crap mission…" Sheppard let his voice trail off and a sly glint shined in his blood tinged eyes.

The Major returned his statement with a half-hearted scowl. They were here in an informal capacity. He did not take his statement too seriously…but one could never be sure.

"We'll recruit Dr. Z., he's quite resourceful and persuasive." Lorne held up a lap top and two more DVD's. "We brought these as per requested Sir."

Sheppard gave his little boy grin and thumped his good hand on the bed. "Excellent!"

He turned his head awkwardly to look at Teyla and Ronon. "Let me introduce you to the X-men. We need to watch this first and then we can watch X-2. That's the one with Night Crawler." He let out a hitch as he moved wrong or it could have been right- it did not much matter. "Nobody brought their comics and nobody had the cartoons sooo…"

"We will watch the movies," Teyla finished for him.

He nodded and closed his eyes. "But not right now, I think I'm at the end of my fun meter." He grimaced again, "I'm feeling craptacular."

His arm was bound against his body. His legs were in casts with rods and pins in place to keep both tibias and fibulas in position until the miracles of the Pegasus Galaxy medicine could take over. He would not have it any other way.

What he was having trouble with was his memory. Everything from being in the cube was clear if not exceedingly disturbing. It was before that he was having trouble with. His teammates could remember that with clarity and the cube was fuzzier. His flight from Mina and the subsequent attack were just bits and pieces. Not nice pieces either. And there was something else missing, but for the life of him he could not figure out what it was. An image of a Rolodex was all that came to him. Weird.

He swallowed, and gasped a little. A nurse or Beckett should be stopping by soon with medication. _Good stuff, gimme, gimme good stuff,_ he thought happily. He tried to relax.

"Sir, we'll leave you now. Col. Caldwell sends his regards and will see you tomorrow."

Sheppard unsuccessfully tried to stifle a small groan from tensing at the man's name. Lorne had informed him of the colonel's involvement and support. Sheppard would have liked to see Refra crashing into a wall at a full run. That thought made him laugh- _oh damn it, he had to stop doing that._ Sheppard would have to thank him and Hermoid.

At least he had the decency to wait until tomorrow. He did not think he could take another visitor. Everyone and their brother had been by: Elizabeth, Zelenka, Stackhouse (really owed the young man) and even Halling. Sheppard realized they were violated too. They had thought his team dead. When Elizabeth grabbed his hand and held on to it with a vice like grip, he had to shake it out afterwards. The funny thing was she did it to Teyla and Ronon and they both had the same reaction afterwards. Who knew she was the one to go to if the pickle jar was stuck. And Rodney…well he had laid in the forest with his dead team and that is why the man would not leave. It could not have been easy for any of them.

But they were home again, home again…

"Thank you Major." Sheppard's eyes started to close as he heard and felt someone messing with his IV. A nice sensation rushed over his aching body.

_Yeah, that's right, gimme the good stuff. _

-----------------

Elsewhere...

Abbot Mede nodded to the new High Abbot. It was time.

Many peoples were descending on Mina and trying to get to the catacombs and the Ring. His Facilitators and Protectors were ready to defend them. The first dart screamed overhead and he stood tall and proud.

Mede looked out over the courtyard, he would not run. He would stay and direct his people. He smiled as Marcin and Trece ran to the top of the wall with their cubes and released their occupants. The ex-Venerable and ex-High Abbot appeared and began their fight.

The first dart went down. It would be followed by many others.

He smiled. Ganede would have been proud.

The End

---------------

_A/N: And there you have it. Thanks to everyone who stayed with this mini epic, everyone who put their two cents in and those that read. Please let me know what you think of the story as a whole. Too long, too this, too that. Tell if it worked for you or not. I tried a few new things. Thanks and we'll see where the bunnies lead!_


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